


Journey of a Black Cat

by animatedrose



Category: One Piece
Genre: Blood, Cringe, Death, Fire, Gen, Marines, Massacre, Pirate Battles, Pirates, Read at Your Own Risk, apparently my two main guys kill a lot early on, cat cat fruits, everyone is a dick wtf, from my old fanfiction.net account, i like cats too much, made way before we knew that Gold Roger actually had a kid, my Japanese is very fail in this, old, reading this makes me cringe so bad but it was my first, so it will stand as a legacy of my noobness, this was a cluster of wtf, unlikely to be continued
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animatedrose/pseuds/animatedrose
Summary: Kuro D. Neko is determined to be the Pirate King. When he ate the Cursed Cat Cat Fruit, he decides to make a crew of others like him. Years later, he sets out to gather his crew in search of One Piece.Read the tags and save yourself. This was made in 2007 and my writing was so bad and cringe. I dared try to use shoddy Japanese off the internet because weeb. Do not take this thing seriously. It is only here because I am proud of a few things in this. That is all.





	1. Son of a Pirate King

A large crowd of people from all over the world stood before the gallows of Rogue Town where Gold Roger, also known as Gol D. Roger, was to be executed. Gold Roger was King of the pirates. He had fame, power and wealth beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

The King of the pirates was forced to kneel in front of two swords crossed in front of him. He looked up and spotted a woman with short black hair carrying a two-year old boy, his son.

"Any last words, Pirate King?" asked the guards.

These were the final words he said. "My fortune is yours for the taking, but you'll have to find it first. I left everything I own in one piece."

The men lifted their swords and ended the King of the pirates' life. The crowd roared.

The woman cried softly and looked at the boy in her arms. She knew the Marines would come looking for her now. She couldn't let them kill her son… Gold Roger's son.

She ran from the crowd. She knew the great age of piracy was beginning. Her son could have another chance at life, as a great pirate like his father. He would go to the Grand Line and search for the One Piece, her husband's treasure, and make his dreams come true.

She reached an inn and rented a room. After leaving her son in a friend's care, she left for the gallows. Upon reaching them, she located her husband's body and took his jacket. She would give it to her son when he came of age to be a pirate and look for One Piece.

The Marines saw her and began to shoot. She ran for it, managing to lose them in the winding back alleys of Rogue Town. When she reached the inn, she gave the jacket to her friend and told her to take care of her son. She didn't tell them that the jacket belonged to her husband, though her friend already knew.

The woman went back to the gallows, desperate to see her husband again. The crowd parted for her upon seeing the trademark cloak of the Pirate Queen. She was arrested and given a chance to say her last words.

She saw her friend and son, and said, "My fortune? It's right where I left it. It's yours if you can find it, but you'll have to search the whole world!"

The men ended her life also.

Her friend cried and looked at the son of the Pirate King and Queen. The little boy looked up, golden eyes glittering against the black of his hair. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, little one. You'll soon become a pirate and look for One Piece. Then maybe join your parents in heaven… Won't you, Kuro Neko?"

The little boy opened his mouth and said, "Pirate?"

"Yes," she said, turning and leaving the gallows. She'd seen enough death. "Someday, Kuro Neko. Someday."

She knew that the boy would never remember his parents. Never know that he has royal pirate blood in his veins. Never know he is the heir of the Pirate King, Gold Roger, and Pirate Queen, Willow D. Roger.

But one day he'd find out. One day, long from today… The day of death, blood and tears for the Roger family. No one knew about their son, but soon they would. Soon, everyone will know the Pirate King and Queen's son, Kuro Neko D. Roger. Soon…


	2. A Lesson About Devil Fruit

_Windy Village in the East Blue, 10 years after Gold and Willow Roger's execution..._

"I'm not going!" yelled a young voice from inside a house in Windy Village. "I don't want to see mom and dad's memorial!"

A young boy with black hair and golden eyes ran out of the house, tears in his eyes and a large red jacket with golden cuffs and buttons rested on his shoulders. It was a 12 year old Kuro Neko D. Roger, son of the Pirate King and Queen… even if he didn't know it.

The boy ran out into the streets of the village. A woman sat at the table in the house he just fled from, her hand holding her head in sorrow. She told the boy that his parents were killed in a war when he was born and she became his foster mother. But Kuro Neko, or Black Cat as his friends call him, wouldn't accept her and just ran away.

"Willow," she whispered, tears pouring down her face. "Why? Why did you have to die and leave me with him? Why, Willow? Why?"

The boy continued to run down the streets towards a meadow where his friends were. He didn't care for his parents' stupid memorial. All he wanted to do was be happy. Plus his friends had a surprise for him in their hideout.

He stopped by a large tree and moved a boulder out of the way, revealing an entrance. He ran down the dirt steps they had carved years before and raced down the underground hallway. When he reached a large chunk of wood used as a door to the main hideout, a voice asked for a password.

"Icky girls!" Kuro Neko said.

The chunk of wood was moved and he walked inside. The wood was replaced almost as quickly as it was moved.

Kuro Neko was greeted by the sight of seven other boys sitting around an abnormally large stump that they used as a table.

"Hey, Black Cat! What's up?" asked a boy with brown hair and glasses.

"Nothing much, Bookworm," Kuro Neko reported.

They all had nicknames and barely knew anyone's real name.

The kids surrounding the stump table were Bookworm, a dark-skinned boy named Zero, a tall boy named Daddy Long-Legs, a short boy named Mini Me for an unknown reason, a pale boy named Twitchy, a large heavily-muscled boy named Caveman (he moved the wood door and asks for the password), and the youngest boy named Chibi.

"Okay," said Caveman. "How about we show Black Cat what we found and figure out what to do with it."

"Sure, Caveman," said Mini Me slyly, reaching over to grab a small chest used to hide valuables. "Look at this weird fruit that I found in my dad's bag!"

He opened the chest to reveal a black fruit with purple swirls on it.

Mini Me picked it up and said, "My dad called it a Cursed Fruit. It's supposed to give you super powers, but dad said something bad happens to those who eat it."

"What do we do with it?" asked Zero.

"I say we sell it! My uncle said Cursed Fruits go for a lot of money these days!" suggested Daddy Long-Legs.

"Well," Bookworm said. "I say we don't do anything with it. You should give it back to your father before he realizes it's missing. Plus what if something bad happens by just having it?"

"Yeah right!" laughed Mini Me. "I say one of us eats it."

"No!" cried Chibi. "What if something bad happens?!"

"Whatever!" growled Twitchy. "Someone, eat it!"

After a bit of bickering, Kuro Neko spoke up. "I'll eat it."

"Why?" asked Caveman.

"Because it sounds cool. But after I eat it, we get to go swimming in the creek, deal?" Kuro Neko said, smiling.

"Deal!" yelled Zero. "Now eat it!"

Kuro Neko picked up the fruit and looked it over before taking a bite. It tasted good at first but then it became horrid tasting. He nearly gagged but his friends cheered him on. When he finished it, he belched loudly.

"That was disgusting!" he cried.

"Okay, now we go swimming," said Caveman, already pulling a chunk of wood away from the wall opposite of the door Kuro Neko entered through. It was their shortcut to the creek.

The eight kids ran out the door and headed up another dirt tunnel. Once they hopped out of the hole in the tree, they ran down the hill to the creek, Shadow Creek. One by one they hopped into the cool, dark waters until only Kuro Neko remained on the bank.

"Come on, Black Cat! You suggested this, so you have to come in!" called Bookworm.

"O-Okay," he said.

Something told him not to go into the water. But he did anyway.

Kuro Neko jumped into the creek with a loud splash. Almost instantly, his body froze. _I… can't move!_ he thought as he broke the surface of the creek and screamed for help.

Sensing something was wrong, Zero swam over and helped him to shore. Once there, Kuro Neko explained what happened when he jumped in the water.

"Well," muttered Bookworm. "It's just a rumor, but I heard that Devil Fruit eaters lose the ability to swim. The sea turns against them."

"Why didn't you mention that earlier?!" cried Chibi. "Black Cat could've died just now!"

Caveman turned on Mini Me and grabbed him. "This is your fault! You had to let him eat it and he nearly died! You idiot!" Caveman punched the smaller boy, slamming him into a nearby tree.

Mini Me got up and said, "Sorry! I didn't know! I just thought it was cool and took it."

"Mini Me," said Bookworm. "What was that fruit called?"

"I heard dad mention it. I think it's called the Cat Cat Fruit: Panther Model. Why?"

Bookworm got up and started to walk down the trail leading back to town.

"I'm going to do some research about it. Let's meet at the hideout tomorrow and I'll tell you everything I found out," he called before disappearing down the path.

"We better get home," said Daddy Long-Legs. "It's getting dark."

The boys said good bye to each other and headed for home. Kuro Neko purposefully took a detour to the graveyard and spotted his parents' graves. He only knew his mother's name but not his father's. Kuro Neko knew next to nothing about his father.

The raven-haired boy turned and walked away, headed for home. He thought about that fruit mostly, like what would happen to him and what it did. It mentioned a panther, one of his favorite animals, so it had to have something to do with the big black cats that stalked the Grand Line.

Once he got home, he decided against telling his foster mother about the fruit. She would only worry and maybe do something drastic. She was unpredictable that way.

"I'm going to bed," Kuro Neko said before climbing the stairs leading upstairs to his room.

"Aren't you going to eat?" his foster mother asked.

"No. I'm not hungry," he said. He still had the taste of that fruit in his mouth.

"Okay," she said. "Good night, Kuro Neko."

"Good night, mom."

After the boy disappeared upstairs, the woman turned and looked out the window. She looked at two bright stars shining right above her house, first appearing after the Pirate King and Queen's deaths. She thought of them as the two pirates' spirits watching over their son and her.

"Willow," she muttered. "I hope you and Roger will watch over your son after I pass on. I've done well but my time is near. Hopefully, your son will start his journey before then. And I hope that Cursed Fruit will guard him."

Yes, she knew of the Cat Cat Fruit: Panther Model. She had a feeling Mini Me would steal it one of these days. And knowing Kuro Neko, he would surely eat it and realize its effects before long.

"Tomorrow, I will give him a lesson," she mumbled. "A lesson about Cursed Fruit and their effects on humans… and weapons."

_The next day, 2:00 pm_

"Kuro Neko, would you come here, please?" called the woman.

"Okay, mom!" the boy said.

He raced down the stairs and jumped onto the old red velvet couch in the living room. The woman sat in a green velvet chair across from Kuro Neko.

"Son," she started. "Did you happen to eat Mr. Jacobson's Devil Fruit? The one he found on Sea Star Island?"

Kuro Neko paled. He knew he was in trouble.

"Yes, mom," he mumbled.

"Well now." She sighed. "I guess you deserve to know about your Cursed Fruit and about the Cursed Fruit themselves."

"Alright! Tell me, what did I eat exactly?" asked Kuro Neko.

"From what Mr. Jacobson told me, it was the Cat Cat Fruit: Panther model. It's a Zoan type and allows you to turn into a panther and a human-panther hybrid."

"Awesome! What's a Cursed Fruit, anyway?" he asked.

"They are said to be the fruit of the Sea Devil and that the secret to their power is hidden in the Grand Line. Because encounters with them are rare, especially outside the Grand Line, a number of rumors about them have risen, making it difficult to tell whether some things are fact or fiction. The average person knows nothing or very little about what they are.

"The Cursed Fruit, when consumed, gives the consumer a power or special trait. There are more than 100 types of Cursed Fruit, they come in different shapes, colors, and all Cursed Fruits have swirl marks on them of some kind. There can be only one of each type of fruit but some have different models or variations. Only one bite is needed for the power of a Cursed Fruit to be yours, and after that, the Cursed Fruit becomes a simple, useless, disgusting fruit. Although you do not even need to bite or chew it, so if you swallow it whole, the effects are still the same. Modern science has also found a way for inanimate objects to gain the power of a Cursed Fruit; this means Cursed Fruit objects can now exist," the woman said calmly.

"How come I couldn't swim after I ate it? Bookworm said that was what happened to Cursed Fruit eaters. Is that true, mom?" Kuro Neko asked, kicking his feet to amuse himself.

"With this new power comes a weakness, as the Cursed Fruit user is rejected by the sea and becomes helpless while submerged in water. Cursed Fruit users are susceptible to all types of water, not just seawater. 'Moving' water, like rain or waves, does not weaken Cursed Fruit users, while standing water does. If a user of is not completely submerged, they can still use their powers from the parts of their body that are above the water. However, if the user's body has been permanently altered by the fruit, then the user's ability can be manipulated by outside sources. Being weak against the sea proves deadly to many Cursed Fruit users who are pirates sailing the Grand Line.

"One rumor is that Cursed Fruits house actual devils that will fight when placed in proximity of one another. The resulting battle would destroy the users' bodies. Nevertheless, Grand Line scientists have noted that the phenomenon of one's body destroying itself only occurs when one consumes two Devil Fruits.

"Devil Fruit powers can be canceled by Seastone. The effects of Devil Fruit and seastone have been researched heavily by Navy scientists. They've also devised the method that lets an object, such as a gun or a sword, merge with a Cursed Fruit."

The woman got up and fetched some tea, getting Kuro Neko a cup too. After returning, Kuro Neko started ranting about how cool it would be to have a sword that could freeze anything it touched or a gun that can turn into a bird. Finally he asked another question.

"What's a zoan?"

The woman laughed and answered. "Zoan types are Cursed Fruit that turn you into an animal. It is the Animal Transformation Cursed Fruit. Many Cursed Fruit belong to that family," she said, chuckling at her adopted son's naivete.

He was so much like his father, not knowing nor caring about Cursed Fruit until he encountered one.

"Are there only Zoan Fruits?" Kuro Neko asked. "Bookworm said there are other types too. Like some that can control stuff and some that can make your whole body a weapon. That would be awesome!"

"There are some like those, Kuro Neko," she said. "There are three known types of Cursed Fruit. There are Paramecia, Zoan and Logia types. Each have a different effect and different abilities."

"What about Zoans? What can we do?" The boy was practically jumping up and down in his seat.

"They allow the user to transform into an animal. This fruit provides three forms: the user's natural form, a full animal form, where the animal's size is often greatly exaggerated, and a hybrid form, combining both original and animal form, usually in a bizarre way. Despite rumors, these fruits cannot give human eaters the ability to talk to animals.

"They mainly improve physical abilities and allow the user to use his or her three forms to adapt to a situation during a fight to find the form that gives the biggest advantage. In their hybrid form Zoan users experience enhanced senses as this form uses a combination of both forms abilities. This fruit type is most useful when applied to objects such as guns or swords, giving an otherwise inanimate object life and increasing its value to the owner of the item."

"Awesome!" said Kuro Neko. "It would be so cool to have sword that can turn into a fox or something."

"Indeed, but Zoan users also have weaknesses," the woman said calmly. "They are limited to the capabilities of the animal they are able to transform into. The Zoan type Cursed Fruit is not wasted if eaten by the creature it represents. Instead they become the perfect example of said species. Should a human eat the Human Human fruit, the human would become enlightened, and be considered a 'perfect' human."

"Perfect human? But those don't exist, right?"

The old woman laughed. "I hope so! Or I'd have to consider poor Cain to be the most imperfect human ever!"

"Yeah!" Kuro Neko laughed too. "Anything else I should know about my new powers?"

"Yes," the woman said, calming down a bit. "Carnivorous Zoans are considered more bloodthirsty than other Zoans. That means sooner or later, you'll kill someone and possibly enjoy it. And a majority of Cursed Fruit come in different models, like the Cat Cat Fruit, Dog Dog Fruit and Cow Cow Fruit for examples. And there are only five known flying powers in the world, meaning only five Cursed Fruit allow flight."

"Awww! That's not fair, I wanna fly!" he whined. "So I'm a branch off of the Cat Cat Fruit?"

"Yes, you are," the woman said. "But this bit of information is very important. If you are knocked out while transformed into your half-beast or full-beast form, you will remain in that form while unconscious until you wake up to reverse the transformation."

"Got it!" said Kuro Neko. "Is that all?"

"Yes, though I could tell you about the other Cursed Fruit if you like."

"Sure, why not?" said Kuro Neko. "Might as well learn all I can while I'm sitting here."

"Alright then, son," the woman said. "This will take a while."

For the next three hours, Kuro D. Neko and his foster mother talked about the Cursed Fruit of the Paramecia and the Logia families. After all was said and done, dinner was made at 8:00 pm that night. After dinner, Kuro Neko left to go to the cemetery to see his parents' graves once again.

Once he went through the gates, he noticed a freshly dug grave nearby. A small boy with messy black hair was sitting by the grave, crying. Kuro Neko walked over and soon realized who it was. It was Mini Me, the boy who had him eat the Cursed Fruit yesterday. He was crying by the grave.

"Mini Me, what's wrong?" asked Kuro Neko. "Why are you crying?"

The shorter boy sniffled and looked up at him.

"Oh, hey Black Cat," he mumbled. "How are you? Are you mad at me for yesterday?"

"No," Kuro Neko said, sitting by him. "I'm okay. I'm actually happy you gave it to me, even if I can't swim anymore."

"You're… happy? Why?" inquired Mini Me.

Kuro Neko thought for a moment, and then smiled and said, "Because now I have a goal. I'm gonna be a pirate and with this Cursed Fruit, I'll be invincible! I find others just like me and have them join my crew. We'll sail the seas and beat everyone in our way."

"Cool, Black Cat!" said Mini Me. "I was wondering, could I be on your crew?"

"Maybe," said Kuro Neko. "How come?"

"Because," Mini Me started. "I ate a Cursed Fruit. My father had another one in his desk. I found it and felt guilty for what I did to you, so I ate it. So, could I join your crew?"

"Sure! Which one did you eat?"

"My father left a note on it. He was gonna give it to a friend in the Grand Line. The note said it was the Cat Cat Fruit: Jaguar Model," Mini Me said.

"Cool, so we're both cats!" said Kuro Neko. "But we have to tell each other our real names first. I'm Kuro Neko, by the way."

"Okay, if you say so," Mini Me said. "My name is Jarred, nice to meet you. That's funny! Your name means Black Cat. Guess that's why you chose that name, huh?"

"Yeah, guess it is! I never thought of that before!"

The two boys laughed.

"So why are you here?" asked Kuro Neko.

"Oh yeah," mumbled Jarred. "My mother died last night of a heart attack."

"Oh," mumbled Kuro Neko. "Sorry, I… I didn't know, Jarred. Please accept my condolences."

"Thanks, Kuro Neko. What were you doing here, anyway?"

"I came to see my parents' graves. They died when I was two, so I don't remember them much, only voices and blurry pictures."

"Okay," said Jarred. "I better get home. Want to meet up here again?"

"Sure! Is tomorrow good?" asked Kuro Neko. "We can start training to be pirates and master our Cursed Fruit powers."

"Okay, Captain Kuro Neko! Or should I say Captain Black Cat?" asked Jarred.

Kuro Neko thought for a moment. Then he said, "How about Captain Kuro Neko the Black Cat?"

Jarred grinned. "Long name, but it is catchy. I like it! What's our crew gonna be called? Or our ship?"

"We'll think about it tomorrow! See you, Jarred!" Kuro Neko called.

The two boys separated.

After seeing his parents' graves, Kuro Neko headed home and told his foster mother about his plans and what happened to Jarred. After that, the boy went to bed for the night with dreams of adventures in the sea.

The woman walked to the window and saw the stars that represented the Pirate King and Queen. She bowed her head and prayed.

"Thank you for finding him a friend. When my time is up, at least he won't be alone. Not anymore."

The two stars twinkled, as if the Pirate King and Queen were celebrating their son's choice in life. The woman smiled, a tear running down her face. Her charge was growing up so fast, as was his reputation in the village.

"Good luck, Kuro Neko D. Roger," she said softly.


	3. Tragedy and Truth

_Windy Village in the East Blue, 4 years later..._

"One thousand four hundred thirty two! One thousand four hundred thirty three!"

Kuro Neko and Jarred were standing out in a meadow, the same meadow their hideout was located. It had been four years since they both ate different versions of the Cat Cat Fruit. They've been training to control their new powers and have been successful in doing so.

Kuro Neko was walking on this hands in hybrid form, carrying a twenty pound weight in his mouth. He was sixteen now and was wearing a black shirt and pants. His shoes lay forgotten in the grass beside Jarred's shoes and jacket.

Jarred was practicing his swordsmanship. He decided to be the swordsman of the crew and is currently working his way to using three swords, like the pirate hunter Zoro. He was twelve now, fours years younger than Kuro Neko, and was wearing a gray undershirt and black pants.

"One thousand four hundred forty one! One thousand four hundred forty two!" panted Kuro Neko, counting the number of hand-steps he could take. "One thousand four hundred forty—"

Kuro Neko finally fell over, the weight dropping into the grass with a _clunk_. He and Jarred have been training all afternoon in their hybrid forms. About a year ago, his foster mother suggested that he start training to gain control of his Cursed Fruit's powers. Kuro Neko eventually dragged Jarred into it and for the past year, all they've done is eat, sleep and train continuously.

"Geez dude, that's weak!" laughed Jarred in his jaguar hybrid form. "I can do at least two thousand of those and not break a sweat!"

"Yeah right!" panted Kuro Neko in his panther hybrid form. "I've seen you break a sweat at barely two hundred, you liar!"

"Okay, so I lied. Sue me!" Jarred joked as he transformed back to a full human.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind." Kuro Neko panted, transforming back to a human too.

Both boys had changed in the past four years. Kuro Neko tanned his skin a little and Jarred got a scar on his left cheek from Mrs. Ellen's cat, Bongo.

"Boys, dinner time!" called Kuro Neko's foster mother.

She had gotten older and had a stroke three months ago. Her hair has become slightly gray and her skin had wrinkles.

"Come on, let's eat! Race you there!" Kuro Neko cried, turning into a full panther and running towards the house.

Jarred went full jaguar and followed him.

It had become a habit of theirs to race to dinner in full beast forms. Jarred's father passed away two years previous and now lived with Kuro Neko. The two boys bickered and teased one another, but both had separate rooms so they wouldn't kill each other.

As always, Kuro Neko won the race and got first choices at dinner. It was what they began to wager six months ago and it was still in effect. After grabbing their food, the duo retreated to the table and waited for their foster mother. They had to pray before dinner every night for good luck. It was something in her culture in her homeland, Moonrise Island.

"Thank you Midnight, lord of the night, for all your good blessings. We thank you for keeping us safe at night and deterring enemies from our homes at night. Bless the beasts of the night that live in harmony with us and bless the beasts that live to devour us for our disobedience to you. In Midnight's name we pray, amen," the old woman said.

"Amen!" both boys said.

The three ate their food in silence. It was a ritual on Moonrise Island to eat in silence and listen to the beasts of the night. Kuro Neko and Jarred both listened quietly, knowing even the slightest peep would ensure Midnight's wrath. If a noise was made at dinner after the prayer besides the sound of dinner utensils, a storm would hide the sun for two days straight. Both boys had seen this happen two years ago and didn't want it to happen again. This was Windy Village's law: After prayer, make no sound except eating and utensils being used.

After dinner, the boys retreated up to their rooms for bed.

"Night, mother!" they called.

"Night, boys!" the old woman called back.

She sat on the green velvet chair and started to sew. Something was going to happen tonight and she wanted to be awake to see it.

_Back at the village, 9:00 pm_

A large ship was docked quietly as the men sneaked into the village. They were bandits and they were here to steal some money and valuables. These men started coming in the dead of night over a year ago and have been unstoppable so far. Even the Marines haven't been able to locate them, so there was no stopping them… yet.

A group of bandits headed towards the house Kuro Neko lived in. Noticing the light was on, they quietly sneaked around the back and slipped into the house. One headed towards the stairs while the others spread out.

The one headed towards the stairs noticed the old woman. Not trusting in luck, he crept towards her with a knife in his hand. These bandits were cutthroats and have killed some villagers in the past. This guy was planning on killing her, but he wasn't planning on encountering two young Devil Fruit eaters in this house who were very protective of her.

Just as the man was closing in on her, the sound of claws on wood caught his attention.

"Probably just some dog…" he mumbled quietly, trying to reassure himself.

The creaking got louder.

"A very big dog…"

The creaking was coming down the stairs now!

The bandit ran forward and raised his knife. The old woman gasped in surprise as the man got ready to kill her.

"Now die!" he yelled, only to hear something heavy running right at him. "What the—holy cow!"

A large jaguar rammed into the bandit, throwing across the room. Jarred and Kuro Neko had both woken up to the sound of footsteps that were unfamiliar to them. Splitting up, they came down to investigate the odd noise. Kuro Neko was in the kitchen at the moment while Jarred came to the living room, worried for their foster mother.

Two more bandits came in and attacked him. Jarred easily beat them but didn't kill them. He'd hand them over to the Navy so they could finally catch these guys. One of the bandits raised a gun and fired, hitting their foster mother.

Kuro Neko raced into the room, blood dripping from his black fur. Upon seeing his foster mother getting shot, the panther struck than man with a bite to the neck, killing him instantly. Jarred chased the others away and killed anyone who dared stay behind.

Kuro Neko padded over to his foster mother, who lay sprawled on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Both boys turned into humans and knelt by their dying mother, crying.

"Mom, don't die. Please don't die," Kuro Neko whimpered, burying his face into her dress. "We need you, mom. You can't go, please don't go."

Jarred ran towards Doctor's house. After explaining what happened, the jaguar raced up the bell tower and roared, waking everyone up. Doctor ran to their house and knelt by their dying mother.

"It's alright? Is she gonna be okay, Doctor?" sniffled Kuro Neko.

"I'm afraid not, son," Doctor said sadly. "She was shot through the heart. She'll die soon. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

"You have to do something, Doc!" cried Jarred. "You have to! What'll happen to us? What?!"

"I don't know," Doctor said. "You'll both probably be put in the Carla Boy's Home until someone adopts you."

"No!" yelled Kuro Neko. "Mom can't die! I'm not gonna go in a boy's home, forget it! I'm gonna be a pirate! Mom has to live until then, until I become King of the Pirates! She has to!"

"I'm sorry," whispered their foster mother. "Doctor, can I be alone with the boys? I have something I must tell them."

"Of course," Doctor said, getting up and leaving the room.

"Mom, what is it?" said Jarred. "What'd you want to tell us?"

"Kuro Neko, your parents didn't die in a war. They were executed for being pirates."

"What?" asked Kuro Neko. "My parents… were pirates?"

The old woman nodded. "Yes. In fact, they were the King and Queen of the Pirates. Your parents were Gol D. and Willow Roger, keepers of the One Piece."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" demanded Kuro Neko.

"Because--" The old woman coughed a little, and then continued. "Because then the Marines might target you. No one knows Gol D. Roger had a son, only me."

"You're the son of the King and Queen of the Pirates?" said Jarred. "That means I'm sailing with royalty. Yoohoo!"

"They'll find out soon. You'll get a little bounty at first but after they realize your identity, your bounty will get higher and higher with every person you beat." The old woman coughed up a little bit of blood. "You are going to be a pirate, right? Carry on your parents' legacy. Become a legendary pirate, and then I'll know I've done a good job in raising you after I pass on."

"Mom, stop talking like that! You're not gonna die, you have to be there when I set off to be a pirate!" cried Kuro Neko.

"Remember those two stars that always shine right above our house?" asked the old woman.

"Yeah, what about them?" sniffled Jarred, wiping tears away with his sleeve.

"They are the spirits of your parents, Kuro Neko," she said. "And after tonight, a third star will join them. Pray to them always, Kuro Neko, for we will be watching over you. Wherever you are, those stars will always be there to guide you through the darkest of nights."

"Mom," whimpered Kuro Neko.

"Thank you for everything, mom," Jarred whimpered, fresh tears sliding down his cheeks. "We'll never forget you, ever!"

After about an hour, Doctor came in and confirmed that she was dead. The boys stayed at Doctor's house that night, mourning their mother. The next day, her burial happened. The entire village mourned for the loss of the old woman who had managed to keep the village from falling apart after the Pirate King and Queen's deaths, when business went down and the village was nearly abandoned altogether.

A strange song filled the air from an unknown place. Kuro Neko recognized the beautiful voice singing: it was his mother! Her spirit was standing in front of the grave, singing a village song of winter.

_Weeping now, the autumn visage;_

_Eyes of bronze, now dim and cold;_

_Flinging down its golden foliage,_

_Once so colorful and bold._

"Mom," whispered Kuro Neko. His golden eyes were locked on the silvery figure that was his dead mother, now singing with that beautiful voice he had heard so many times before when he was little.

_Gone, the leaves without a trace,_

_Autumn's hues have been erased,_

_Barren branch and windswept face;_

_All are gone. Now the winter,_

_Now the winter takes its place._

_Gone._

The villagers were looking around for the source of the music. They couldn't see the ghost of Willow Roger, only Kuro Neko could. Jarred realized this and looked, but he couldn't see her.

"Kuro Neko?" he whispered, looking at the older boy, who was frozen to the spot and staring at the grave of their foster mother.

_Did you hear the winter coming?_

_Do you fear its icy hand?_

_Fingers reaching out and numbing_

_Tree and hill and grassy land._

The other people realized they couldn't see her. Some of the women sung along but nothing matched the beautiful voice of Willow Roger. Some of the younger children hummed the tune and soon enough, the entire village was joining in on the song.

_Gone, the leaves without a trace,_

_Autumn's hues have been erased,_

_Barren branch and windswept face;_

_All are gone. Now the winter,_

_Now the winter takes its place._

Now the men joined in. Kuro Neko and Jarred both started to sing the song now. Even a few Marine soldiers that attended the funeral joined in. Everyone was singing now, all thanks to a lone spirit saying goodbye to a friend through song.

_Death of blade and frozen night;_

_End of amber glowing leaves,_

_Covered now in winter white;_

_Autumn goes to bed and grieves,_

_And grieves!_

Now the song was nearly done. Kuro Neko wishes it could have lasted longer but knew it had to come to an end sometime. He hadn't taken a breath since the song had started, and he guessed no one else had either. But it felt like they didn't need to breathe right now, and they didn't know why. They just kept singing.

_Gone, the leaves without a trace,_

_Autumn's hues have been erased,_

_Barren branch and windswept face;_

_All are gone. Now the winter,_

_Now the winter takes its place._

Only one more. Then he could breathe again. He hoped mother would stay so he could talk to her. He really hoped she would stay.

_Gone, gone, gone,_

_The leaves without a trace,_

_Autumn's hues have been erased,_

_Barren branch and windswept face;_

_All are gone. Now the winter,_

_Now the winter takes its place._

_Gone, gone, gone._

The village could breathe again. Just as quickly as the music started, it had ended just like that. Kuro Neko gasped as his mother vanished.

"Mother!" he cried, reaching out a hand for his mom's spirit.

She just looked at him and smiled, and then she vanished.

The villagers were leaving, none taking notice of Kuro Neko's cry.

Jarred walked over to the sixteen year old, glancing at the grave. He'd been acting more mature than Kuro Neko, even if he's younger by four years.

"Kuro Neko," he asked. "Are you okay?"

"Didn't you see her?"

Jarred blinked in confusion. "See who?"

"My mom, my real mom. Willow Roger," Kuro Neko sobbed.

"No, I didn't see her. But I believe you about her," Jarred said. "How else could that song pop up and all the villagers start singing like that?"

Kuro Neko chuckled and wiped the tears away. "Guess you're right."

Jarred looked towards the grave and saw something glittering in the grass. "Hey, what are those?"

"What?" asked Kuro Neko.

The two boys got up and walked over to the grave. They gaped at what they saw.

A bouquet of freshly picked silver roses was lying on the grave. No one had placed roses on the grave. Someone had to have seen them. Next to the flowers were eight golden rings that could fit around a wrist.

"Mom must have put them here," Kuro Neko said, reaching down and retrieving a note from the flowers. "It says 'To my son and his friend: These rings are for you boys. Six for my son and two for Jarred. I left these flowers for my friend, since she took such good care of you. I know you're planning on becoming pirates, but here's a suggestion: wait six years and many people will want to join you. Good luck on your journey! –Willow Roger'"

"Six years? Why wait that long?!" whined Jarred.

"Well, I'll wait. I'll follow my mother's suggestion, plus it gives us more training time!" said Kuro Neko cheerfully.

He got up and walked towards the exit of the cemetery.

"Oh, fine! I'll stay with you," muttered Jarred, following him. "You'll still need me and we still need a crew name and ship."

"We'll figure that all out later!" laughed Kuro Neko.

"You said that four years ago!" argued Jarred.

Both boys burst out laughing as they exited the cemetery and headed for their foster mother's house. They had decided on staying there and getting regular check-ins by Doctor.

As they were leaving, a third star appeared above their house. Their foster mother was right. Now she would be watching over him alongside his parents. They would always be there to watch the boys and nothing would stop them.


	4. The Dawn of Adventure

_Windy Village in the East Blue, 6 years later..._

Jarred and Kuro Neko were sitting on the docks on the edge of the village, watching the rising sun. Today was the day when they would leave Windy Village. Six years have passed since that fateful day when their foster mother died and Kuro Neko found out his heritage. Today, they would finally leave this place and be pirates.

"Today's the day, right guys?" asked a tall man of around 24. It was their old friend Daddy Long Legs, or Willis.

"Right, Willis," said Jarred, glancing at the golden band around both of his wrists. "Today, we are officially pirates."

"Yeah, we're finally leaving this place," Kuro Neko said calmly, watching the sunlight glitter on the three golden bands on each of his wrists. They had been presents from his dead mother, Willow D. Roger, on the day their foster mother died.

"Well then," said Willis. "Why don't you guys gather your supplies and I'll finish your ship's repairs."

Three years ago, Willis and the shipwrights of Windy Village started building a ship for Kuro Neko. Their dead foster mother's money was used to pay it off and then some. Their ship, the Neko Neko, had gone through many repairs until it could finally go through the Midnight Hurricane, a devastating storm that hits the island once every four months, with barely any damage.

"Sure. Let's get ready, Captain Kuro Neko D. Roger!" laughed Jarred, retrieving his jacket and shoes from the edge of the dock.

He then retreated lest he get splashed by Kuro Neko for saying his full name aloud.

"Get back here, you!" growled Kuro Neko, grabbing his father's jacket (he found this out when he found his foster mother's diary last year) and his shoes.

He ran after the jaguar zoan and raced towards the house they lived in for most of their lives.

Both boys had changed in the last six years. Kuro Neko was 22 and had learned to fight with a sword and practiced guitar, but he also gained a calm and quiet personality. He acted lazy unless they were training and he even got his hands on an excellent grade sword called Kuromizu, or Black Water. He also started wearing a hat in order to make him seem a little more intimidating, which worked on Jarred.

Jarred was 18 and had improved his swordsmanship skills. He, too, got his hands on two excellent grade swords called Akayuki, Red Snow, and Shirokaze, White Wind. He had also learned how to vanish while attacking, making an injury appear moments after he reappears from attacking. He said it's similar to a rokushiki move called soru, but he just barely had the skills to focus on where he was going while using it.

The two zoans raced inside and went up the stairs into their respective rooms. An hour later, both came out of their rooms with their backpacks full of things to take with them. Doctor had said he would take care of the house while they were gone, so they didn't have to worry.

After returning to the docks, both boys looked at their ship and their flag. The ship was a large ship, just a little bigger than a caravel but smaller than a galleon. It was stocked with everything they might need at sea and had a boys and girls cabin, in case any ladies wanted to join the crew. Their flag was a skull and crossbones, but the skull had fangs in the mouth and cat ears on top while the crossbones had three claws on each end and a tail looped around it. Whiskers were on either side of the skull's face.

"Well, how do you boys like it?" asked a dark-skinned shipwright. It was Zero, or Marcus.

"We fixed it up good this time, boys. You'd better take good care of her or I'll hang you from the bow by your tails," a heavily-muscled shipwright growled. It was Caveman or Davis.

"Yeah, just hope you don't fall in! Devil Fruit users can't swim, right?" laughed a shipwright with brown hair and glasses. It was Bookworm, or Alec.

"Yeah, don't fall in! Don't fall in!" sang two younger shipwrights. It was Chibi and Twitchy, or Carlos and Allen.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up!" called Jarred, sending them a glare that silenced the two youngest shipwrights.

"Well, we're leaving now. Hope you all remember us because we're going to be the best pirates. I'm gonna be the king and follow my father's footsteps all the way to Raftel," Kuro Neko said.

"Remember this name: Kuro Neko D. Roger! It'll be famous!" cried Jarred, hopping onto the ship's deck and waving goodbye to the villagers.

Kuro Neko sighed and hopped onboard, cutting the rope attached to the deck with his sword.

"See you, everyone!" he yelled, waving goodbye to Doctor and the villagers.

As they left the harbor, Kuro Neko spotted something on the railing of their ship, the Neko Neko. It was a silvery thing surrounded by a ghostly aura. Kuro Neko walked over and picked it up, looking at the odd marking on it. It looked like a compass but was different than any he'd ever seen.

"Hey Jarred, what's this thing?" he asked.

"Huh? What thing?" asked Jarred, jumping down the stairs onto the deck. "Oh, that. It's a log pose and they're used on the Grand Line. But I've never seen a silver one before and those markings look like some ancient language."

"A log pose, huh?" he mumbled, looking at the compass thing. "Will it be any use here?"

"No," said Jarred. "I'll tell you everything once we get there, okay?"

"Okay! Let's eat, I'm starving!"

"Okay… Maybe we should find a cook, because I suck at cooking and you do too," suggested Jarred.

"Sure! But let's eat something we don't have to cook then!" Kuro Neko called. "Like apples!"

Jarred caught the apple that his captain had tossed at him. "Okay…" he mumbled, taking a bite.

He wasn't one who liked fruit much but he would eat it if he had no choice, like right now.

Suddenly the ship started to rock violently.

"Hey, what's that? Is it an earthquake?" Kuro Neko cried, grabbing the railing.

Jarred clung to the main mast and yelled, "We're at sea, you idiot! It's probably the Sea King that—oh, man! Hang on, captain!"

Suddenly a giant Sea King, or Neptunian, burst from the sea and threw the ship high into the air. Both pirates were tossed into the air and landed on the deck when the ship crashed back into the ocean.

"Now what?!" yelled Kuro Neko.

Jarred raced downstairs and lit one of the cannons, aiming at the Sea King.

"Fire!" he yelled.

The cannon collided with the Sea King and exploded, a huge splash signaling that the Sea King was either dead or had left. As the smoke vanished, the Sea King was gone.

"Is it gone?" called Kuro Neko.

"Yeah, it's gone!" yelled Jarred. "It must have left. Stupid Sea King."

The ship got moving again, headed for an island that was two days sailing away. They would look for crewmates and then head for the Grand Line.

Kuro Neko went into the captain's cabin and put the silver log pose on his desk. He then turned and inspected his new room.

It was mostly red and black with tints of gold in a few places. A large bed lay against the far wall by a window, the blankets and sheets were a rich red and gold color. A large oak desk rested against the nearest wall and had the usual navigational stuff on it (he'd give all that to his navigator when he got one). The room had thick black carpet and a closet to put his clothes and things.

"Wow," he said. "I think they went a little overboard when they redid my room. I may be a captain but I'm not a king yet."

Jarred walked in and his jaw dropped at the sight of Kuro Neko's room.

"Wow, your room's better than mine," he said, leading his captain to his own room.

As soon as they walked in, Kuro Neko saw the difference. Jarred's room was smaller and he had a simple bed in one corner. The carpet was black and the window was smaller, but there was a large mat on the floor and a pole stood in the middle of the room. Kuro Neko guessed this was both Jarred's bedroom and training room.

"How do you like it, Captain?" Jarred said, whistling.

"So, you're gonna train _and_ sleep in here?" Kuro Neko asked.

"Yeah, got a problem with it, Captain?" Jarred growled, an edge in his voice.

"No, _shorty_ , I don't have a problem with it," Kuro Neko teased. "It just seems odd, that's all."

"Alright, who're you calling shorty, _grandpa_!" Jarred snarled. He hated being called short and for good reason.

"I'm only four years old than you, Jarred," Kuro Neko pointed out.

Jarred fell silent for a while, and then said, "So?"

Kuro Neko sighed and left the room, deciding to explore his ship some more. Willis and the others tended to remodel the ship a little after each repair session, so there were always more things to see and more rooms to explore.

A few hours later, Kuro Neko collapsed on his bed in his room. There were individual rooms now instead of cabins and a bathroom was installed in each. The kitchen was made a little bigger and the library was bigger too. So much had changed and was making the panther zoan's head spin. He needed a nap and maybe a hot meal afterwards… even if they didn't have a cook, Jarred made good chicken and rice.

After these thoughts went through his head, Kuro Neko curled up in bed and fell asleep.

_Jarred's room, 3 hours ago_

"Geez, he's being quiet lately," Jarred muttered, attacking the pole in his room with both swords. "Guess he's checking out the new rooms. Knowing him, I'll be making dinner later."

For the next three hours, Jarred attack the pole with his swords and his zoan ability. By the time he was done, he collapsed on the floor. He was spent and definitely needed a nap. Jarred closed his eyes and took a snooze for about half an hour.

He woke up to the sound of Kuro Neko's lazy voice yelling, "Jarred, what's for dinner?"

Jarred has locked his bedroom door so he wouldn't be disturbed during training. "Must've forgotten to unlock it before taking my nap," he mumbled, getting up and stalking to the door.

After unlocking it, the swordsman walked to the kitchen and checked through the supplies. Not much but it'll have to do. Tonight's dinner was going to be chicken, rice, and some bread. He was done within the next twenty minutes.

"Jarred! When's dinner? I'm starving here!" came Kuro Neko's pitiful voice.

"Right now! Get your lazy tail down here or I'll eat all of it!" threatened Jarred, already filling his plate so he got a good share of food before the panther came down and ate it all.

Kuro Neko raced down the stairs and snatched a plate, piling food on it within moments and sitting across from Jarred at the table.

"From now on, this is my chair!" he declared before shoveling food into his mouth.

"Hope you choke," Jarred mumbled, eating a bit slower though dutifully guarding his dinner. Kuro Neko was known to steal food.

After finishing the meal, Kuro Neko went out on the deck and watched the moon and stars appear in the sky. He noticed the three stars representing his parents and foster mother. He bowed his head and prayed to Midnight, the god of the night. He raised his head afterward and went back inside.

After finishing his food, Jarred washed the dishes and muttered under his breath about how he wasn't a cook and shouldn't be washing dishes. After putting the dishes away, he went back downstairs to his room and resumed his training. Just as he walked into the hallway, he bumped into Kuro Neko.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Kuro Neko looked up and said, "Where are we going next? Any ideas, Jarred?"

"Well," Jarred started. "I'm not sure but we should head to the next island. My father went there a lot and I think it's called Orange Town."

"Orange Town?" asked Kuro Neko calmly. "Sounds good. Hopefully we get more crewmates there. Let's go there!"

"Okay," said Jarred. "We're already headed in that direction anyways. Might as well go there."

The ship continued to sail towards Orange Town.

Two days later, they spotted Orange Town.

"Hey, we're here! Get up, you lazy panther!" yelled Jarred.

Kuro Neko came down to the deck wearing his father's jacket on his shoulders. He smiled when he saw the island.

"I have a feeling we're going to meet some very helpful people here," he said calmly.

The duo peered at the island, only to see a massive explosion erupt from the island.

"What the heck was that?!" yelled Jarred. "I say we avoid this island, Captain!"

Kuro Neko merely smiled mischievously. "No," he said quietly. "We'll go there. I know we'll meet someone of interest there and I want to see them."

Jarred sighed and knew his captain's mind was made up. Ignoring the smoke and flames from the island village, he steered the ship towards it.

Whoever this person is had better be worth it or he'd eat his jacket.


	5. Kuro Neko vs. Luffy

After docking their ship, the two zoan pirates walked into the nearly destroyed town. Some buildings were destroyed in a straight line and one building looked like it had been burned down. Jarred was already suspecting it was pirates and had his swords ready in case of an attack.

They stopped in the middle of the town and stared at the scene there. What was once a tavern was entirely demolished and a bunch of people, and a very large lion, were unconscious and bloody under the wood. Two men, one oddly enough having two round ears on top of his head and the other had a unicycle nearby him, were both laying on opposite ends of the area, clearly unconscious.

But the oddest of all were three people in the area. One had green hair and three swords attached to his waist, another had orange hair and was carrying a large sack of treasure in her hands, and the last one was wearing a straw hat that was ripped at the top.

"Hey, Kuro Neko!" hissed Jarred. "That guy with the green hair is Roronoa Zoro, the bounty hunter! Boy, am I glad we don't have bounties yet!"

The boy in the straw hat turned and spotted them. "Hey, are you part of Buggy's crew too?" he yelled.

"Buggy?" asked Kuro Neko. "Who's he? And who are you three?"

"Buggy's a pirate!" the orange-haired girl said. "I guess you've never heard of him. And why should we tell you our names? Who are you?"

"We asked first!" yelled Jarred.

"Calm down!" Kuro Neko growled. "I'm Kuro Neko and this is my swordsman, Jarred. We're pirates from the Neko Neko crew. Now, who are you?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" said the boy in the straw hat. "I'm a pirate too! This is Zoro, my swordsman, and this girl's my navigator!"

"The name's Nami," the girl said. "Why are you here? We've already had to deal with some pirates, so we don't need more!"

Kuro Neko looked at Luffy. "So you are a D. too. I am as well. Kuro Neko D. Roger."

"Roger?" said Zoro. "Do you happen to be related to the Pirate King, Gold Roger?"

"Maybe," Kuro Neko said. He had no intention of telling them about his origins. "I'll tell you if you can beat me."

"So you want to fight?" asked Luffy. "Okay! It'll be fun beating the son of the former Pirate King!"

"I'm not his son!" growled Kuro Neko. He didn't want this guy finding him out so he just went on denying it. "Prepare yourself, Luffy!"

"You better be prepared! Gum Gum Pistol!"

Kuro Neko leapt out of the way. "So you ate a Devil Fruit too, eh? Well, so have I!" Kuro Neko transformed into his hybrid form and readied for another attack. "I'm guessing you ate the Gum Gum Fruit, paramecia type. This battle will be interesting."

Luffy swung at him again, nailing Kuro Neko in the side. The panther zoan crashed into the street and then hopped to his paws.

"Panther Claw!" he growled, slashing at Luffy.

Luffy stretched out of the way and avoided the attack. Kuro Neko's claws dented a wall of a building, causing it to crumble slightly.

"Ha ha! You missed me, kitty!"

"Oh, really?" asked Kuro Neko, pulling his claws out of the wall. He jumped up and slashed at Luffy, cutting his arm slightly.

"YOW!" yelped Luffy. "That hurt, you dumb cat! Gum Gum Gatling Gun!"

Kuro Neko crashed into a wall and dragged himself to his feet. As he had predicted, this battle was very interesting.

He quietly walked towards Luffy and said, "Okay, battle over!"

"Huh?" said Nami. "Why would he just quit in the middle of a battle?"

"Luffy?" asked Kuro Neko. "What is your goal?"

"To be King of the Pirates!" said Luffy.

"That is also my goal," Kuro Neko purred, transforming back into a full human. "We will continue our fight the next time we meet. Good luck on your journey, Luffy."

Kuro Neko turned and left.

Jarred ran after him. "Come on, captain! You could've creamed that rubber guy! Why didn't you beat him?"

"Because something told me to wait," Kuro Neko replied, boarding their ship. "I had a feeling we were evenly matched. It would've been a shame to have a draw right now when we could both get stronger and meet again, possibly more than once."

"Captain, you have an odd mind," said Jarred.

"I know, Jarred. I know," Kuro Neko said. "How about some lunch? That battle made me hungry."

"I'm cooking, right?" asked Jarred. "I just know that you will burn it or do something else to ruin the meal if you cook."

"Of course, Jarred, and until we get a cook, you are my temporary cook."

Kuro Neko walked to his room to take a nap, leaving Jarred in the kitchen doorway.

"Good for me," Jarred mumbled. "Better find a chef soon or I'll end up fighting with cooking knives instead of swords."

After a good hour of cooking, lunch was served. It was chicken, rice, bread and apple slices. Kuro Neko stole most of the food, like always, while Jarred just sat there and looked downright disgusted at his captain's eating habits. After dinner, Jarred washed the dishes and went to his room to train.

Kuro Neko sat on his bed and looked at the silver compass known as a log pose. How did it get on their ship, and where has he seen it before? None of this made sense but then again, nothing seemed to make sense to him. Why his foster mother died, why his parents died, and why Luffy had the same middle initial as him. All of this kept whirling around in his head.

He lay down on his bed and stared at the wooden ceiling. His thoughts drifted to new crewmates. Orange Town hadn't had anyone, so they would have to search the next island for crewmates.

He thought about what Jarred had said after they set sail from Orange Town.

" _So, what's the next island?" asked Kuro Neko._

" _Let's see…" mumbled Jarred. "I think it's Inferno Island. They say it was named after a nearby island that was destroyed by the Marines ten years ago because two extremely dangerous pirates had taken control of it. They say no one survived."_

" _Well then," said Kuro Neko. "To Inferno Island!"_

Kuro Neko sighed. Finding crewmates was hard work and they weren't even a third of the way to the Grand Line yet.

"I hope we find someone on Inferno Island," he mumbled. "Mom promised that people would want to join us. I just hope they come soon."

The pirate captain yawned and curled up in a ball on the bed, falling asleep.

_On Inferno Island, an hour from the Neko Neko's position..._

Inferno Island was a very large, forested island in contrast to its name. There was a large village on the edge of the forest from which you could see the remains of the original Inferno Island, which was destroyed ten years ago by Marines. Unaware to the Marines, not everyone on that island had died.

Two teenagers raced through the streets of Blaze Village, the village on the edge of the forest. Both were carrying bags of things they had stolen from people foolish enough to fall for their tricks. Suddenly, the two teens were replaced by two cougars. One was brown and the other was white with a reddish-pink tail tip.

After they escaped the streets and entered an abandoned shack in the forest, they transformed back into humans. One teenager leaned against a dusty and cracked window while the other sat quietly on a crate.

"That was fantastic, Ai!" said the teenager by the window. "They never knew we were stealing from them since you acted all childish and spoke another language. That was brilliant, sis!"

The teen who spoke turned out to be an 18-year-old boy. He had short black hair with white tips, light skin, and had blue eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt, black pants, black boots, silver rings on his wrists, crescent moon earrings on his ears, and a crescent moon pendant.

" _Arigatou, oniisan_ ," said the other teenager sitting on the crate.

The other teenager turned out to be a 17-year-old girl. She had long brown hair with reddish bangs, light skin, and green eyes. She was wearing a red tank top, frilly red skirt reaching below her knees, red boots, silver rings around her wrists, star earrings on her ears, and a star-shaped pendant.

"Don't worry, Ai- _chan_. I won't let those World Government dogs find us. They may have taken our home but they haven't taken us yet," the boy said to the girl.

The girl, Ai, looked at him worriedly. "Koji _oniisan_?" she said. " _Douka shimashita ka_?"

"Nothing's wrong, Ai," the boy, Koji, said. "I just wish they would stop chasing us. We're in enough trouble as it is, so we don't need them getting involved. But at least we have food now."

Ai looked down at the dusty floor. " _Ii nyuusu da ne_."

"Don't worry. We'll be fine, maybe even better, once we get off this freaking island." Koji growled, running a hand over the handles of his two double-bladed axes. "It's getting late. We should go to bed."

" _Naruhodo_ ," Ai said, getting off of the crate. She walked over to two beds that the siblings slept in. " _Oyasuminasai. Gussuri oyasumi, oniisan_."

" _Oyasuminasai. Yoi yume o, Ai-chan,_ " Koji mumbled as he climbed into bed.

In moments, the duo was fast asleep.

_At the Inferno Island docks..._

"I'm going to bed, Jarred. Thanks for dinner again." Kuro Neko yawned as he walked to his room.

It had been nearly two hours since lunch and they had docked here about twenty minutes ago. After exploring Blaze village, they had returned to the ship with more supplies and had decided to stay here for a while. Jarred could've sworn he'd seen two cougars running down the streets. Or it could've just been his imagination.

The swordsman retired to his own room and collapsed in bed. He would explore the village more when morning came.

_The next day…_

"I'm gonna go check out the village, captain!" Jarred called, hopping off the ship.

Walking down the docks, he spotted the village and all the buildings it had. It looked similar to those coastal villages with all the driftwood buildings.

After exploring some more, he spotted a teenager with short black hair tipped with white. He was standing on the edge of the street, begging for money to help his sister. The girl was seated off to the side of the street, mumbling things in another language. A crowd had gathered and some were tossing money at them and saying to help her get well.

Jarred came closer and his eyes widened in surprise. When the teenage boy hugged one of the people and thanked them for the support, he secretly slipped the person's wallet out of their pocket. Jarred realized what was going on now.

"Hey, you might want to check your pockets, sir!" he yelled.

The person quickly checked his pockets and discovered his wallet was gone. "Where's my wallet?!"

"Those pickpockets took it," Jarred said, pointing to the teenagers. "I just saw them. This is a con so they can get your money and valuables."

"But the girl's sick!" said a young woman. "She can't talk right!"

"No, she's just fine," Jarred said, walking towards the two pick-pocketing teens. "She's just speaking another language, Japanese from the sounds of it. I bet she can speak English, so she just speaks Japanese to get you guys to fall for their con. After they get your goods, they leave you guys without your money and use it for themselves."

The crowd turned against the two teens. "I don't believe you'd do this!" they yelled in outrage.

The teens quickly gathered the money and ran for it.

"Sorry, no refunds, suckers!" laughed the boy as they ran down the street.

Jarred chuckled and ran after them. "No one can outrun a jaguar!" he said as he turned into a full jaguar.

Suddenly the two teens turned into cougars. One was normal but the other was white with a reddish-pink tail tip.

"Idiot! We're Devil Fruit users! You can't catch us!" the normal cougar, the boy, growled.

"Well, so am I!" growled Jarred.

The trio vanished into the forest, running at top speed, Jarred leaping on tree branches to catch up while the cougars ran along the ground. Then the cougars raced inside an old, beaten up shack. Jarred easily smashed the door down.

"Okay, you two, come out and give back that money!" growled Jarred, turning into a full human.

"Okay, okay! We give!" said the boy. He and the girl exited the shack, looking innocent. "The money's in the shack. We're really sorry."

"Whatever!" mumbled Jarred, walking past them and retrieving the money from on top of a crate. "Now you two had better scram before that crowd comes back for you."

"Sorry but that won't be happening!" said the boy, pulling out two double-bladed axes. "My Tsukikazan and Hoshikazan will destroy you first!"

Jarred blocked the axes with his two swords, just in time to avoid a bad hit. Then something hit him in the side, drawing blood. Jarred glared at the girl, who had three knives in her hand while the fourth was embedded in the wall behind him. He glanced down and spotted a small cut on his side where the knife hit.

"My sister is an expert at throwing knives while I use my two axes," the boy said, using his axes to shove Jarred into the wall.

The ceiling was shattered as a very large panther jumped through it, throwing the boy backward. Kuro Neko transformed back into a full human and glared at the two teens.

"Who do you two think you are?" he growled. "No one hurts Jarred and gets away with it!"

"Hang on!" said Jarred. "Captain, you said you were looking for crewmates who ate a Cat Cat Fruit, right? Well, these two ate the Cougar model. Maybe they could join us."

"No way!" yelled the boy. "Why would we want to be pirates? Pirates were the reason our island was destroyed!"

" _Doukan desu_!" said the girl. " _Acchi ni ike_!"

"What did she say?" asked Kuro Neko, looking at Jarred for answers.

"She said 'That's right, go away' in Japanese, captain," the swordsman replied.

"Hey, why was your island destroyed?" Kuro Neko asked.

"Because two pirates had taken over it. The Marines just destroyed everything and killed everyone, even the innocent people like us. We're the only survivors," the boy said.

"Wait, then you two are from the original Inferno Island?" asked Jarred. "Shouldn't you hate the World Government and not pirates? They destroyed your island, after all."

"No, pirates caused all of this! It's all their fault!" yelled the boy. "They're the reason Ai- _chan_ and I are all alone!"

" _Ochitsuite, Koji oniisan_ ," the girl, Ai, said softly.

"Not all pirates are bad people," Kuro Neko said. "Some are really nice and won't hurt people unless they have to. I'm one of those kind pirates. I want to find One Piece and become King of the Pirates and I'll make a crew of cat Devil Fruit users. So, want to join?"

"As I said before, no," said the boy, Koji. "But I'll think about it. Stay in the village for a few days and I'll tell you my answer later."

"Thanks for at least considering it," Jarred said, picking up the money and tossing it to the siblings. "And you guys can keep that. I'll just tell them that I lost you two in the forest."

" _Hontou? Arigatou!_ " Ai said.

"We'll be here for about another week," Kuro Neko informed them. "If you want to join, meet us at the docks. Our ship is the biggest one there!"

"We'll think about it," Koji said.

The two Neko Neko pirates left the abandoned shack and headed for town. After telling the crowd about the misfortune, the duo headed for the ship to eat.

The cougar siblings stood there in the shack, thinking over what had just happened.

Koji sat down on the crate the money had been on and sighed. "Well, Ai, what should we do?"

Ai looked surprised at his question. " _Mou ichido itte kudasai?_ "

"Should we join them or what?" Koji asked. "The villagers here hate us because of what we do, and tourists hate us because of what we are. But these two pirates actually want us."

" _Daijoubu, oniisan?_ " Ai asked, resting a hand on her brother's shoulder. " _Douka shita no?_ "

"I'm fine, and you can speak English now," Koji said. "Those two just remind me of our parents. They believed pirates were good people too, but look what happened. They died!" Tears were coming.

" _Oniisan, nakanaide,_ " Ai said. "I think we… should join them."

"Maybe," he mumbled. "Maybe we should."

_Ocean, not far from Inferno Island…_

"Colonel! We found the island and our search is successful!" called a Marine soldier. "The two survivors from Inferno Island are on that island! We're ready to attack!"

"Not yet!" growled the colonel. "Get the villagers off of the island, but avoid all pirates and our designated targets."

"Yes, sir, Colonel Aero!"

The colonel, Aero, looked at the remains of the original Inferno Island and then looked at the new Inferno Island. It would meet the same fate but only the targets and pirates were to be eliminated. The villagers were to be evacuated, but in a way that would not alert pirates or the targets.

"Well now, those two cougar children will be eliminated at long last," Colonel Aero mumbled. "Those two are the children of filthy pirates, the same pirates that caused us to destroy Inferno Island ten years ago."


	6. Flames and Attack

Jarred walked around the village, hoping to find those two siblings again. That chase had been fun and Kuro Neko was napping, so he would just have to settle for running in the woods. But something told him that something bad was going to happen today.

It had been three days since they encountered the cougar siblings, Koji and Ai, and he'd noticed that some Marines had started to appear in the village, whispering things to the villagers. The Marines were avoiding the docks, which were filled with pirate ships.

"Better figure out what's going on," the swordsman mumbled.

He walked over to a tavern and spoke to the Marine.

The Marine said, "I think it's best if you evacuate the island. Colonel Aero of Naval Base 7 is attacking the island to get rid of two little brats who have taken control of this island. We will eliminate them and any other pirates, and then we will rebuild this town."

"Interesting," Jarred said, smirking. "I'll start packing then. Thanks for the info, sir!"

The Marine nodded and headed down the street, unaware that he had just told a pirate about their plans. Jarred ran back to the ship to tell Kuro Neko about the attack.

_The abandoned shack in the woods…_

"So, Ai, do we join or not?" Koji asked. "They'll be leaving soon, plus the Marines are starting to come here. I've seen some around the village and the edge of the forest. They're searching for us, no doubt about that."

" _Mou iya desu,_ " Ai whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. " _Dore?_ "

"Naval Base 7 with Colonel Aero," Koji replied, running a hand through his hair. "I wish they would stop following us. Maybe joining those guys is a good idea."

" _Hai, oniisan, doukan desu,_ " Ai said.

"Well then, let's head down to the docks," Koji said. "From now on, we are pirates!"

As the two walked into town, they noticed the Marines giving them odd looks. Jarred ran up to the two and led them to the docks, where they explained everything. After they were finished, the siblings looked horrified.

"You mean they're gonna burn down the island? Like they did before?" demanded Koji, a hand already on his two axes.

"Yeah, I know," Kuro Neko said grimly. "But do you two know who this Colonel Aero guy is?"

" _Hai, Kuro Neko-san_ ," said Ai. "He burned down our village 10 years ago."

"So you can speak English," Jarred mumbled.

"That's horrible!" said Kuro Neko. "Why would he do that? Why couldn't he just do what he's doing now and evacuate all the people before attacking?"

"Because everyone in the village was with them!" yelled Koji. "None of them would leave the island or the pirates. Especially us since those two pirates happened to be our parents."

"Your parents?!" asked Jarred. "So you two are the children of pirates?"

"Yes and that's enough of a reason for the Marines to hunt us down and kill us, including anyone who gets in their way or anyone who helps us." Koji growled, fingernails digging into his palms.

"So, are you gonna join my crew?" asked Kuro Neko.

Before Koji could answer, someone else spoke up. "Of course he isn't joining you pirates. He and his sister and all you filthy pirates are going to die!"

"Marine!" yelled Jarred.

The Marine was a tall, heavily-muscled guy with brown hair and black eyes. He wore a large jacket over his shoulders and had a mustache.

"My name is Colonel Aero and your names are dead!" he yelled, shooting his gun.

The four zoans scattered, running in different directions in hopes of an escape. Koji kept running until he reached an alleyway and sat among the trash there, hoping for safety. He kept thinking about the original Inferno Island and what happened there 10 years ago.

_Original Inferno Island, 10 years ago..._

Two little kids, one 8 and the other 7, were resting on the ridge over the beach of their home island. Suddenly, they spotted six Marine ships headed towards them. The children, Koji and Ai, had been taught to tell adults if they saw Marine ships. Both kids ran towards the village.

They spotted their parents resting under a tree in the town square. They ran towards their parents, screaming, "Mommy, daddy! The Marines are coming!"

Their mother, a beautiful raven-haired woman named Seika, embraced the two and gestured for her husband, a tall brunette man named Higeki, to check it out. He got up and walked over towards the beach with some of the villagers. Not long after the takeover of the island, the villagers grew dependant on the pirates for protection and were willing to fight alongside them to protect the island.

Three Marines stepped onto the beach. One was a heavily-muscled colonel while the other two were merely soldiers sent to guard the colonel.

"I'm Colonel Aero of Naval Base 7, and I've come to arrest you pirates," he said, pointing to Higeki and Seika.

"We don't want to be saved!" yelled some villagers. "If it wasn't for these guys coming along, pirates would've destroyed this village by now! It's thanks to them that we don't have to live in fear anymore!"

"See, Colonel Aero?" said Higeki. "These people love us pirates. In exchange for food and shelter, we protect them and their village from harm. No, we protect this entire island from harm!"

"We're doing no harm whatsoever, sir!" Seika said, holding Ai and Koji close. "We're doing a lot more help than you think. Not all pirates are bloodthirsty cutthroats that only care about treasure, there are good pirates who protect people and only fight when necessary."

"You're blind, all of you are!" roared Colonel Aero. "All pirates care about is killing! There is no such thing as a good pirate!"

"Then how do you explain us all being alive despite having pirates in the village for the past 10 years?" yelled a villager.

"You're their slaves!"

"No, they're not!" yelled Higeki. "They're our equals. We help one another to survive in this world. Ever heard the saying 'It's a dog eat dog world'? Well, that's what this place is! Without us, these guys would be dead! Without them, we pirates would be dead!"

"Silence, filthy pirate!" yelled one of the two soldiers.

"No, we won't be silent!" yelled Seika. "We've been silent for years and yet you still try to kill us when we've done nothing at all. We're sick and tired of you Marines coming into our home and trying to throw us out!"

"That's right!" yelled Higeki. "Why can't you leave us alone already? We haven't killed anyone or anything, so just leave us the heck alone!"

"Be quiet!" yelled Colonel Aero, shooting him.

" _Otousan_!" screamed Ai.

"Stop it right now!" yelled Seika, pointing a gun at Aero. "I don't want to shoot you but if you insist on killing us then we'll kill you!"

Suddenly the sounds of cannons filling the air. The village erupted into flames as a cannonball hit it, and one by one, the villages were destroyed. The entire island was erupting into flames, and the Marines retreated to their ship.

Koji grabbed his sister's hand and ran back to the ridge. There was a small ship hidden in the cove below it that they could use to escape. A scream came from behind them and when they looked, their mother hit the ground and was killed by the explosion.

" _Okaachan_!" screamed Ai.

"Come on, Ai! We have to go now!" yelled Koji.

A cannonball hit the ground in front of them, throwing the children away from their escape route. The ridge and their boat were destroyed.

One of the villagers grabbed the kids and raced to the beach where a small boat was docked. Shoving them on it, he cut the rope and pushed it out to the sea. The kids screamed for him to come with but stared in horror as he was killed, along with everyone else on the island.

Hours later, the two landed on what was to be the new Inferno Island. They cried and cried, but knew everyone was gone. Not long after that, they ate a Devil Fruit and made a vow to destroy the Marines for what they did.

Koji was crying now. Why did that man have to come back?

A gentle voice beside him said, " _Oniisan_ , why are you crying?"

Koji looked and saw it was his sister. Jarred and Kuro Neko were with her, looking very worried for him.

"I'm fine, Ai- _chan_!" he sniffed, wiping the tears away. "It's just I—"

A gun shot sounded nearby and the trashcan they were hiding behind got kicked over. Koji looked up and saw it was Colonel Aero with his gun pointed at them.

"Prepare to die, pirate trash!"

"You're the trash, Marine!" yelled Jarred, slashing the gun in half with his Akayuki sword.

Another Marine soldier appeared and pointed his gun at the swordsman. Just as he was about to fire, Ai went full cougar and slashed the man across the chest. His blood stained her white fur red.

More soldiers appeared and the four worked together to defeat them all. Soon enough, Colonel Aero was all alone.

"You filthy pirates! Die!" he yelled, shooting.

Kuro Neko dodged the bullets and punched the man in the face, sending him crashing into the wall behind him. Colonel Aero collapsed on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. The other three looked at him in shock, and then started cheering.

"Let's go, guys!" yelled Koji.

The four zoans raced towards the ship. After hopping onboard, they set sail to get as far away from the island as possible.

An hour later, all they could see was open sea on all sides, turned bright colors by the setting sun.

"Man, I'm beat!" sighed Kuro Neko. "Who knew running could take that much out of you?"

"Yeah, man!" groaned Jarred. "I've got a stitch in my side from running. I guess even zoans get tired from running that much!"

"My sister can fix that up for you!" said Koji.

Ai opened her backpack and pulled out a red ball thing with holes on top and a tube at the side. She blew into it and played a tune by placing her fingers over some of the holes and changing her fingers' positions to change the notes. The crew of four relaxed.

"Man, I'm feeling better already," Kuro Neko said, stretching. "You are definitely my musician, Ai."

"Could I be the first mate?" asked Koji. "My sister will have to be second mate though."

"Sure! You both seem really strong, even if I haven't seen what Ai can do yet," Kuro Neko said. "Welcome to the Neko Neko crew, guys!"

" _Arigatou, Kuro Neko-sama!_ " Ai said happily after finishing the tune. "I should do this every sunset."

"Sure, Ai," Jarred said. "You should. That's a great idea."

"What's for dinner, anyway?" asked Kuro Neko.

"Probably chicken, corn, and bread. I have to cook until we get a chef, just so you two know," Jarred said, getting up and heading for the kitchen to cook dinner.

While he was gone, Kuro Neko taught the two newest crewmates about their tradition of praying to Midnight before dinner and eating in silence. After praying, Jarred yelled for them to come eat. They sat around the table in spots that would always be theirs. Jarred served their food, much to his dislike, and then sat down.

" _Oishisou!_ " said Ai.

"She says it looks good," Koji said, taking a bite of chicken. His eyes lit up in happiness. "Delicious! This is the best food I've ever had in years! You're an excellent cook, Jarred!"

"Thanks!" said Jarred. "At least someone compliments me, unlike a certain panther zoan."

"What?" asked Kuro Neko. "I always say it tastes good."

" _Sou desu ne,_ " Ai said, taking a bite. "Good but it needs salt. _Shio o totte._ "

Kuro Neko handed her the salt.

She took another bite and nodded in satisfaction. " _Hai_ , it's very good!"

"Thanks, Ai. That means a lot, considering Kuro Neko and I are both supposedly bad cooks," Jarred said, grinning.

After dinner, they showed Jarred and Ai the individual rooms and let them choose their rooms. Koji chose a room about the size of Jarred's that had thick black carpet and bare walls. He began unpacking.

Ai chose a room that was a bit larger than her brother's. It had thick red carpet with hints of gold and silver. A large bed was against one wall and a bookshelf rested against another. She, too, began unpacking.

After an hour, the crew decided it was time to sleep.

After going to bed and shutting off the lights, none of them saw the small caravel gliding silently alongside their ship. The flag was a green skull with roses for eyes and the crossbones were thorny vines. A young girl around fourteen with short dark green hair and green eyes silently watched the ship, a large amount of deadly plants writhing around her feet and ship.


	7. Ai is Kidnapped

Kuro Neko awoke to the familiar scent of breakfast being cooked. The raven-haired man sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair. Yesterday, he had got two new crewmates from Inferno Island, beaten a bunch of Marines, and went back out to the sea for their next adventure on their journey to the Grand Line.

The captain got up from bed and crossed the room to the desk with navigational equipment on it. He picked up his hat and shoved it on his head, grinning as the smell of breakfast grew stronger. After retrieving his father's coat from the chair, he made his way downstairs to check on his first and second mates.

"Hey guys, are you up yet?" he called, knocking on Koji's door.

The cougar boy opened the door and looked at him sleepily. Koji's black hair was a mess and his pajamas, a pair of blue boxers and a thin blue undershirt, were wrinkled. Upon closer inspection, little cougar faces decorated the boxers.

"What'dya want, man?" Koji groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I'm tryin' to sleep here!"

"Breakfast is ready, so get up!" Kuro Neko said cheerfully. Then a mischievous grin appeared on his face. "Nice boxers, little cougar boy."

Koji blinked and turned red as he realized what his captain said. Leaping behind the door to hide his lower body, he snarled, "That's not funny!"

Kuro Neko managed to stifle his laugh as he left Koji's room. When he reached Ai's room, he once again knocked. The brunette opened the door and smiled when she saw him.

" _Ohayou, Kuro Neko-sama!_ " she said. " _Ogenki desu ka?_ "

"Huh?"

"How are you?" Ai said, rephrasing her previous statement.

"Oh, great! Breakfast is ready, and nice room!" Kuro Neko complimented.

" _Arigatou!_ " Ai said, looking at her room. The walls were red and roses filled the room. The ocarina she used the previous night was resting on a table covered in red lace and flowers. "You like it?"

"Yeah, I do!" Kuro Neko said. "I'm going to get breakfast! See you up there?"

"See you up there!" Ai said, closing the door.

Kuro Neko ran down the hallway and the up the stairs. When he reached the deck, he ran up another flight of stairs and entered the galley. Jarred was cooking some eggs and bacon, just some of the food the stocked up on at Inferno Island before they fled. The panther's mouth was watering at the sight of all that food.

Jarred turned and glared at the staring panther. He sighed and said, "If you swipe anything from my plate or this pan, you'll feel the wrath of my fork. Got that?" He raised the fork to further symbolize his point.

Kuro Neko nodded before seating himself at the table. Koji and Ai came up a few minutes later when the food was ready.

"Enjoy your meals." Jarred said, sitting down to eat.

A few minutes into the meal, Koji spoke. "I thought I heard a ship last night. It sounded real close, almost too close."

"I didn't hear anything, _oniisan_ ," Ai replied.

"Neither did I," Jarred agreed. "You're probably hearing things, Koji. This is your first time on a pirate ship so your mind's playing tricks on you to scare you."

"I thought I heard plants last night," Kuro Neko added. "Maybe we passed an island."

"Yeah right!" grumbled Jarred. "I had night watch last night and didn't hear a thing. I didn't see anything except night stuff."

A very loud boom was heard nearby. The four pirates stood up and went down to the deck. Once there, Jarred peered over the railing and saw a large caravel not too far from them.

"Hey, Kuro Neko!" Jarred called. "There's a ship over there!"

"Maybe they were what I heard last night," Koji mumbled, standing beside Jarred. Then he saw the plants. "There are plants on that ship! That must've been what Kuro Neko heard last night!"

"Greetings, pirates!" giggled a little green-haired girl standing on the deck of the ship. "Nice to meet you! Who're you?"

"Why would you want to know?" growled Jarred, a hand closing around the Shirokaze. "You're a pirate, just like us! But you're a little girl."

"I know!" laughed the girl. She looked at Kuro Neko happily. "So you must be the captain! I'm the captain of this ship, the Rosethorns!"

"There's no way you could be a captain, little girl- _chan_ ," Ai said gently. "Kuro Neko- _sama_ , what happens if this crew wants to fight us?"

"Then we fight back, sis!" Koji said gruffly.

"Oh, you're so pretty!" the girl cried, but she wasn't on her ship anymore.

"Where did she go?" Kuro Neko asked, looking every direction in search of the girl.

"I'm right here, silly!" the girl giggled, reappearing in front of them. "What's your name, girl?"

"My name is Ai, and yours is?"

"Ivy," the girl said, walking towards her. "My name is Ivy Rosethorns, captain of the Rosethorns ship. And you are now my prisoner, Ai."

The group fell silent.

"What?" Koji ground out hatefully. "My sister is staying here. And it's not as if you could take her anyway."

"Really?" Ivy asked, a cruel smirk crossing her face. "Just try to stop me."

"Gladly!" Jarred said, raising his fist to hit her. "This'll teach you to talk like that, you little—hey! What the heck?!"

Jarred's fist was engulfed by vines that were growing out of the wooden floor of the deck. Jarred could only stare as his hand was constricted by the vines before he pulled out the Shirokaze and sliced the vines apart, freeing his hand. The swordsman glared at Ivy and yelled.

"What the heck was that?!"

"My power, silly!" Ivy giggled. "I ate a Devil Fruit known as the Vine Vine Fruit. It gives me control over plants, mostly vines, and that's why my ship is covered in plants."

"Wow, that's cool!" Kuro Neko cried.

"Shut up, Captain!" yelled Koji. "With those kinds of powers, that girl could really kidnap my sister!"

" _Shinji rare nai!_ " Ai cried. "Another Cursed Fruit eater?"

"That's right! And as I was saying before, Ai, I'm making you my prisoner," Ivy said, grabbing her hand and running towards the mast.

"Let go of my sister!" yelled Koji, pulling out the Hoshikazan and Tsukikazan. "Lunar Twin Axes!"

Koji threw the two double-bladed axes at the young girl.

Ivy smiled and said, "Vine Vine Forest!" Vines erupted from the deck, creating a giant vine forest. Ivy's voice echoed throughout the forest. "See you later! But don't worry, I'll come back to finish you guys off later! Ha ha ha!"

"Sis," Koji gasped. "No!"

He watched helplessly as the Rosethorns sailed away from them, taking Ai with it.

_Onboard the Rosethorns ship…_

Ivy walked downstairs with her new prisoner, the cuffed Ai. Ai looked around and noticed there were no other crew members on the ship and no other prisoners too. If there was really no one else on this ship, then she was left all alone with this girl. For now, she would play her silent or Japanese act. This Ivy person was not going to get a single English word out of her.

Ivy arrived at a clean cell closest to the staircase. After shoving Ai inside, Ivy entered and shut the cell door behind her. Sitting on a barrel of grog close to the door, she watched the cougar zoan look around her cell for any signs of an escape route.

"There's no escape, Ai," Ivy said.

Ai glared at Ivy, thinking that if she were in zoan form, her fur would be bristling. " _Hontou? Houtteoite, baka._ " She growled.

"Oh, you speak Japanese too! I do but I like speaking in English better," Ivy exclaimed, rocking back and forth happily on the barrel. "I can understand everything you're saying."

" _Dakara?_ " Ai said defiantly. " _Shirumon ka._ "

"Well, I care!" Ivy said. She then reached out a hand to touch Ai.

Ai hissed and slapped her hand away. She would have gladly scratched Ivy but the cuffs were made of seastone. " _Sawarahaide!_ " she shrieked. " _Houtteoite! Acchi ni ike!_ "

"Why should I?" Ivy asked huffily. "I can touch you if I want. I _am_ the Captain, after all!"

"Well you're not _my_ Captain!" Ai yelled at her.

Ivy froze for a moment, but then she snapped her fingers. Vines grew from the ground and wrapped around Ai, lifting her from the ground and slowly crushing her.

"I don't care about that!" she spat. "My mission is to eliminate you four and anyone else who has joined you. I won't hesitate to kill you right now."

Ai's eyes were tearing up from the large amount of pressure used to crush her.

" _Matte!_ " she choked. " _Tomare!_ "

"Why should I stop? I'm supposed to kill you!" Ivy growled. "Maybe I should kill your friends first and then kill you?"

" _Iie!_ " Ai managed to cry. " _Ikasete! Ikasete!_ "

"Why should I? You're just another pirate!" Ivy snarled. "The only difference is that you're from that pirate-loving island, Inferno Island. But look where pirates got that island! They were all killed and only you and your brother survived it!"

Ai gasped for breath. The vines were cutting off her windpipe.

" _Dare ga itta no?_ " she said in a choked voice.

"Someone called Colonel Aero," Ivy said, smiling at the agony written on Ai's face. "I heard he was recently attacked by four pirates on the new Inferno Island. You and your friends did that, didn't they?"

" _Hai. Dakara?_ "

Ivy smirked cruelly. "My master has ordered that you all be eliminated. The four of you, mainly your captain, are in the way of his plans."

" _Nani?_ " Ai choked, tears of pain pouring down her cheeks. " _Doroyouni?_ "

"I can't tell you," Ivy said. "Now, do you want to die?"

" _Iie,_ " Ai hissed. " _Zettaini ariemasen!_ "

Ivy started laughing. Ai growled, wriggling in the vines but the more she struggled, the tighter they became.

"Do you think anyone will come for you? I think not, Ai," Ivy said, laughing. "Might as well give up while you're ahead. Once a pirate, always a pirate! Your crew probably abandoned you to save their own necks!"

" _Damare!_ " a strangled scream came from Ai. " _Warawanaide! Machigattemasu! Sore wa fukanou desu!_ "

"Oh, it's very possible," Ivy said, smirking. "You just don't want to believe it."

" _Damare!_ " Ai screamed.

An explosion sounded nearby and the ship violently lurched from side to side. The plants unraveled themselves from around Ai, causing her to drop to the ground. Ivy jumped down from the barrel and raced to the cell door, unlocking it and running upstairs towards the deck. Ivy made the one mistake of leaving the cell door wide open in her mad rush to get upstairs.

Ai got to her feet and stumbled towards the door. Just as she reached it, she collapsed. Another woman was walking down the hall and, seeing Ai falling, ran towards her and caught Ai. They gently lowering her to the ground.

A gentle voice asked, "Hey! Are you alright, kid?"

Ai opened her eyes and saw a young woman with short dark blue hair and blue eyes looking down at her. The woman wore a blue T-shirt and black pants, black boots, and a silver ring around each wrist. A long, rectangular black thing was strapped to her back.

"I'm fine," Ai managed to say. "Who are you?"

"My name's Mina. I'm the navigator on this ship, or so the captain says." Mina growled. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"The Captain caught me and locked me up. She was choking me with those plants and she said she was going to kill me and my friends."

"Where are your friends?" Mina asked, helping Ai stand up. "Are you a pirate?"

"Yes, I am." Ai gasped, leaning against Mina for support. "My friends are probably close by. That explosion sounded like my brother's Hoshikazan and Tsukikazan."

"Hey, need help getting there?" Mina asked. "'Cause I can get you there pretty quickly. But there's one catch."

"What is it, Mina- _san_?"

"San?" Mina asked, confused. "Do you speak another language or something?"

"Yes, I speak some Japanese," Ai said. "What is the catch?"

"You have to let me join the crew."

"Why? Are you being held prisoner too?" Ai asked as they walked towards the stairs.

"Yeah, and I _so_ want to get off of this ship!" Mina groaned as the walked up the stairs. "I can't navigate in that teeny tiny cell that the Captain so happily provided me with."

"How do you navigate?"

"Most use the air or the ocean, but I use the stars and clouds," Mina said as the arrived on the deck. "I'll tell you more once we reach your ship. Hang on!"

Mina pulled out the rectangular thing and opened it, revealing a very large fan. Ai noticed metal edging it to make it a weapon. Leaping into the air, Mina landed on the fan's surface and rested Ai on it. She then directed it to glide towards the Neko Neko ship. Ai smiled when she saw her friends and the plant-less ship.

Jarred was cutting down any plants that started to regrow while he also manned the cannons. Kuro Neko was steering the ship towards Ivy's ship, barking orders to Koji and Jarred. Koji was retying the sails to keep them steady while he also unleashed fast attacks with his axes.

The two girls landed on the deck and both ran towards Kuro Neko.

"Captain, I'm back!" Ai cried over the explosions of the cannons. "And I brought us our new navigator!"

"What?" Kuro Neko called. "Can't hear you!"

"I said—"

Ai was cut off when the Rosethorns ship exploded. After the smoke cleared, all that remained was the smoldering remains of the ship that was quickly sinking. After a few moments of silence, the crew cheered before going to congratulate Ai on her safe return. Koji was the first to notice Mina.

"Who are you?!" he spat, grabbing his axes. "You're part of Ivy's crew, aren't you?"

"Yes, but not anymore," Mina said. "I was imprisoned on that ship. I helped this girl, Ai, and have agreed to be your navigator. That is, if you want me to."

"Yeah!" Kuro Neko said. "We need a navigator or else we'll get lost before reaching the Grand Line."

"Man, we don't even know anything about this girl!" growled Jarred. "She could be a spy for all we know!"

"I promise you, I'm not a spy," Mina said, holding her hands up. "I was a prisoner just like your friend and we decided to escape together."

"Hmmm…" Koji thought for a moment before saying. "Well, we _do_ need a navigator. I guess we might not find another one, so we might as well take her."

"Well then, I guess that means you're on the crew," Kuro Neko said. "Got any special talents and stuff?"

"I have my fan, Ichiarashi," Mina said. "And I can do this!"

Mina started to shrink and then transformed into a small, dark blue cat.

The crew gaped at her before saying, "You ate a Devil Fruit?"

Mina transformed back with a fearful look on her face. "So what if I do?"

"We do too, Mina- _san_!" Ai said. "We do too!"

"Well then, I guess we better get out of here right now." Mina said. "Ivy doesn't die that easily, so we better get out of here."

That's when a familiar voice said, "Where are you going, my pretty little kitty?"

 _IVY!_ Mina's mind screamed as she turned around to face her former Captain in the face.


	8. The Neko Neko Crew vs. The Rosethorns Crew

"No way!" growled Jarred. "She's still alive?!"

"Warned you," Mina said, backing away from her former Captain. "And it looks like she's not alone."

"Of course I'm not, silly. I brought my crew with me!" Ivy cried. "It was a shame that you destroyed my ship, though. Master will be unhappy with me."

" _Oniisan!_ " Ai hissed. "She mentioned something about her master ordering her to eliminate us."

"But why?" Koji hissed back. "Who is he?"

Ai shrugged. "She never told me."

"Well then," Ivy said. "I guess our fight will have to be on this ship. But don't get mad if your ship gets destroyed in the process."

"Bring it on, little girl," Kuro Neko replied, unsheathing the Kuromizu. "Our damaged ship should be the least of your worries."

" _Hai!_ " Ai agreed, pulling out her knives.

"Okay then!" Ivy jumped up and landed on the mast just below the sail. "I'll see how you fare against my crew before I join in. Bara, take care of Ai! Sakura, take Mina! Suisen, take the swordsman! Himawari, take the ax-wielder! And Ayame, take the Captain! The rest of you are to stay away and strike when you see an opening."

"That's not fair!" yelled Koji.

"Don't forget, we're all pirates here," Mina said, opening her fan. "Nobody here should play fair."

"If they want to play dirty, then we'll play dirty too," Kuro Neko ordered, smiling.

Jarred drew his swords just in time to prevent his opponent's giant sword from cutting him in half. Suisen was a big man with thinning red hair and beady black eyes. His sword was four times the size of his own swords.

"What the heck, man! That sword's gigantic!" Jarred yelled, dodging another slash of the sword.

"You like it?" Suisen asked. "Say hello to my Big Blade!"

"No thanks!" Jarred shrieked, leaping up to avoid a swipe aimed at his legs. "I'd rather say hello to the World Government that that thing!"

"Well, you'll get to once we catch you guys and kill you!"

"Not in your lifetime, dude!"

"Jarred, shut up!" Koji shouted. "You're making enough noise for all of us!"

Currently, Koji was chasing Himawari, who had decided on tiring his opponent out by running circles around the mast. Koji finally stopped and waited for Himawari to turn up. When he didn't show up, Koji looked up to see his opponent sitting upside-down on the mast where Ivy was sitting.

Himawari was a skinny teenager with long blonde hair and blue eyes. He may look like a girl's dream come true, but he was more like a girl's worst nightmare since he was wielding a giant scythe made of bone and rock.

"Hey, get down here!" Koji yelled.

"Why?" Himawari asked.

"Because we still have to battle, you nitwit!" Koji shouted.

"Why?"

"Because you guys are trying to kill us!"

"Why?"

"Because your Captain and her master ordered it!"

"Why?"

"HOW THE HECK SHOULD I KNOW?!" Koji roared, practically ripping his hair out. _If he says why one more time, I'm gonna kill him!_

He looked up to see if the boy had come down yet. He hadn't.

"Aren't you gonna come down yet?" Koji asked cautiously.

"…Why?"

Koji ground his teeth in frustration. _Okay, NOW I'm gonna kill him!_

" _Oniisan, ochitsuite!_ " Ai cried, transforming into her full beast form and ramming into Bara, throwing her across the deck. " _Ki o tsukete, oniisan!_ "

Bara pulled herself to her feet. She was a young woman with long reddish-orange hair and green eyes. She was wearing a martial arts uniform and used shuriken.

"Well, that was a clever move," Bara said, wiping the blood off her face. "So you have a Cursed Fruit just like our captain? How intriguing."

"So you still wish to fight me?" Ai asked, transforming into her hybrid form. " _Yattemitara, baka._ "

"Oh, I will," Bara said, smiling. "Just try to catch me now!"

The white cougar zoan tensed, ready for an attack. But Bara didn't make an attack… she made copies of herself! Soon, where only one opponent had stood were now ten opponents. Bara laughed.

"Ra ha ha ha ha! I told you not to mess with me!" Bara sneered. "I'm the martial artist of the Rosethorns crew! Meet Bara Rose, ninja!"

Ai just gulped. " _Kami..._ "

On the other side of the deck, Kuro Neko was facing off against Ivy's second mate, Ayame. Ayame had short light purple hair and purple eyes, and he was wearing a light blue Chinese-style martial arts uniform. Both pirates had a few scratches and bruises but no major injuries yet.

"You should just give up," Ayame stated, brushing his bangs out of his face. "Even if you defeat us, stronger pirates hired by our master will pursue and kill you, no matter how long it takes."

"And why would that be?" Kuro Neko asked, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "Why is your master after me? What have I done to him?"

A creepy smile appeared on Ayame's face. "It's not just you, Kuro Neko. It's all pirates, particularly Gol D. Roger."

 _My father?!_ Kuro Neko thought. _What could he have done to get on that guy's bad side?_ "What does Gol D. Roger have to do with getting revenge on me?" he demanded.

"That's easy," Ayame said. "Our master knows about your relationship to the Pirate King. He knows you're his son but he won't tell the World Government. 'Let them figure it out on their own' is what he said."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken." Kuro Neko growled, tightening his grip on the Kuromizu. _How do they know who I am?!_

"Don't think you can lie your way out of this," Ayame warned, crouching into a fighting stance. "Now be a good boy and die!"

"I'll die when the apocalypse comes!" Kuro Neko yelled, running forward to meet Ayame's attack head on.

Ivy silently watched the fight before glancing at the final fight.

Mina was crashing her fan against Sakura's whip. The pale pink-haired first mate wore a pink T-shirt, red sash, and pink pants with matching slip-on shoes. Her whip had tiny metal barbs attached to it so it could inflict more damage.

Mina and Sakura broke away from one another, panting.

"Why are you attacking this crew? I never did get the reasons," Mina huffed.

"I don't know really," Sakura admitted. "Only Ivy knows but I don't care. I get to fight and that's all I care about."

Mina got up and opened her steel-edged fan. "Well, I guess I have to beat you. Maybe I'll even kill you for all the pain you and the others put me through!"

"Just try it, kitty cat!" Sakura dared, cracking her whip into the air and sending it flying towards Mina. "Steel Spike Whip Lash!"

Mina transformed into a small blue cat, dodging the attack completely. Then she looked up and glared at Ivy, who was laughing her head off at the battle her friends were putting up. She turned back to normal and slashed at Sakura with her fan, missing the girl by inches.

_On the mast…_

Ivy laughed as she watched the Neko Neko crew try to fight her crew. Sure, they were fighting the main five but the others were attacking too.

"Kiku, Hana? How much of a chance do you think those Neko Nekos and the traitor have against my crew?" she asked the two women seated beside her.

"I think they might stand a chance," Kiku, a tall blonde 18-year-old, said. "At least for a little while."

"Yeah, I agree!" giggled Hana, a short brunette 16 year old. "Master will reward us loads after we kill these guys, Captain!"

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Ivy muttered.

"What do you mean 'you suppose'?" Hana asked, wrapping her arms around her small captain's shoulders. "Of course we'll win! And master will be oh-so-pleased with us! Right, Kiku?"

"Yeah, Hana!" Kiku said, brushing her bangs aside. "We'll win this, no sweat!"

"I guess so," Ivy said. A creepy smile appeared on her face. "But I have a better idea. If we can't kill them, then we'll just sink their ship and leave them to drown! That's one of the weaknesses in this crew: none of them can swim!"

"Excellent idea, Captain!" Kiku cried. "But what about us? Our ship is on the bottom of the sea."

"I'll just rise it back up again with the seaweed on the ocean floor." Ivy replied. "Now, give the crew this order: destroy the ship _and_ the crew."

"Yes, Captain!" Hana said, standing up. "Rosethorns, listen up! Captain Ivy has order that you not only defeat the crew, but sink the ship too!"

Roars were heard on the deck as the Rosethorns crew prepared to destroy the Neko Neko ship.

Ivy grinned as she saw the looks of horror on the Neko Neko crew's faces. She knew this was the end of them.

_Back on the deck…_

The five members of the Neko Neko crew managed to get back-to-back with one another while their opponents slowly circled them like a shark circling its prey. Kuro Neko had a deep slash on his left arm and blood sliding down his chin from a knocked out tooth. Jarred had a deep cut on his right shoulder and was handling both of his swords gingerly. Ai had some cuts on her arms and legs from the shuriken attacks. Koji had blood running down his face and his right boot was filled with blood from Himawari's bone scythe just barely missing his foot. And Mina had some whip marks on her back, the back of her shirt torn open and soaked with fresh blood.

"Did you hear that, Kuro Neko?" Jarred panted. "They're gonna destroy her… They're gonna destroy the Neko Neko!"

"I know, I heard." Kuro Neko growled, pointing his sword threateningly when Ayame tried to inch closer for a better strike. "We've got to stop them before they do that. Willis and everyone back home will be angry if they find out the ship they built for us was destroyed on our first week out at sea."

"If we can beat these guys first, it'll be a piece of cake," Koji said. "We've got to finish these guys off and stop the rest of that crew from destroying the ship."

" _Hontou desu ka?_ " Ai asked, glaring at Sakura as she circled them. "If at least one of us can take out our opponent, they could keep the rest of that crew at bay while the others finish these guys off."

"She has a point," Mina agreed. "If one of us can get out, they can buy time for us to finish these guys off and get to the others. It'll be easier that way."

"Or maybe one of us could take two on at a time," Koji suggested. "Wouldn't that be easier?"

"I guess but which one of us will handle two at once?" Jarred demanded, shaking his head. "And why the heck are the clouds dark? Wasn't it sunny earlier?"

"Yeah but that was a while ago," Kuro Neko muttered. "It looks like we're going to get some rain during this fight."

" _Arashi ni narimasu,_ " Ai predicted. " _Samui._ "

"Yeah, I think we're going to get some heavy rain and powerful winds pretty soon, guys!" Mina added, staring up at the sky. "I can't even see the sky with all those clouds!"

A huge flash of light and a crash of thunder roared across the sky. Suddenly, rain came pouring onto the deck and soaking the pirates of both crews. The deck was covered in water, causing the pirates to lose their footing and slip.

" _Doshaburi desu!_ " Ai cried, sliding and hitting the staircase leading to the galley from the deck. " _Oniisan, ki o tsukete!_ "

"Don't worry about the two against one thing, I'll handle it!" Koji growled. "Ai, try to hold off the rest of that crew!"

" _Hai, oniisan!_ " Ai cried, transforming into her hybrid form and charging at the Rosethorns crew in the hope of keeping them from destroying the ship.

Kuro Neko dragged himself to his feet just in time to block Ayame's kick that was aimed at his head. The violet-haired pirate leaped away and landed on the deck, but not before slipping on the water. Kuro Neko chuckled at this before he stood up straight and pointed the Kuromizu at him.

"Why are you going to destroy the Neko Neko?" Kuro Neko demanded. "I thought it was just us that you're after but since you can't kill us by normal means, you're planning on drowning us?! You guys must be cowards to do that instead of fight like true pirates."

"Master never specified on how we were to kill you," Ayame said. "Just that you needed to be dead as soon as possible."

"You cowa—" Kuro Neko's threat was interrupted by the sound of wood snapping. Twirling around, he saw one of the Rosethorns pirates had torn a section of the railing off. "Hey, stop that!"

"Might as well forget it, Kuro Neko D. Roger," Ayame said softly. "You, your crew, and your ship will all be destroyed. There's nothing you can do to save them."

Kuro Neko watched in horror as some more of the pirates tore apart their ship. Chunks of wood were sent flying into the ocean, most of it sinking. As the ship's deck was torn apart, Kuro Neko relived the threats the Windy Village shipwrights had given them.

_"Well, how do you boys like it?" asked a dark-skinned shipwright. It was Zero, or Marcus._

_"We fixed it up good this time, boys. You'd better take good care of her or I'll hang you from the bow by your tails." A heavily-muscled shipwright growled. It was Caveman or Davis._

_"Yeah, just hope you don't fall in! Devil Fruit users can't swim, right?" laughed a shipwright with brown hair and glasses. It was Bookworm, or Alec._

_"Yeah, don't fall in! Don't fall in!" sang two younger shipwrights. It was Chibi and Twitchy, or Carlos and Allen._

Kuro Neko wasn't about to stand by and let this ship be torn apart. Not after all he'd gone through to have it built by the shipwrights. He remembered that promise.

_Flashback, three years ago..._

A nineteen-year-old Kuro Neko stood on the hilltop alongside his friend Daddy Long Legs, or Willis. The 21 year old shipwright gave the boy a stern look.

"Are you sure you want me to do this, Black Cat? A ship's a tough thing to build."

"I know but in three more years, I'm leaving this place to become a pirate," Kuro Neko said. "I need a ship so we can leave here. You guys are the shipwrights here and I've got the money for it, too."

"Might as well build it," Willis grumbled. "Anything in particular?"

"A big ship that's really strong!" Kuro Neko cried. "Strong enough to… to… to go through the Midnight Hurricane without a scratch!"

Willis dropped his hammer. "You're kidding," he said. "No ship has ever gone through that storm and lived. Look, I know we're good shipwrights but asking for that is asking for death."

"Please?!" Kuro Neko begged. "I know you guys can do it. If you guys can't do it then no one can!"

"…" Willis finally nodded. "Fine, I'll see if we can build this dream ship for you. But only if you and Jarred promise not to wreck it when you leave."

"I promise!" Kuro Neko cried. "We won't wreck it! It'll be the best ship ever and will never be destroyed!"

"Alright then, Black Cat." Willis said. "This'll be our promise. Take that ship all the way to Raftel!"

"I will!"

Kuro Neko was growling angrily. If these guys destroyed the Neko Neko, Willis would never forgive him!

"STOP THAT!" he roared, turning into a full panther and ramming into Ayame, crashing him into the galley. He then charged at the pirates. "I SAID STOP THAT!"

The pirate crew stopped and realized the danger they were in. Most of them flung themselves overboard while others scattered across the deck in order to escape the panther. Ivy's eyes widened in fear as she watched Kuro Neko attack her men and even kill a few.

"Retreat!" she screamed, using her power to recreate her ship.

Just as Ivy turned to leave, she was face to face with Mina.

"You're not going anywhere!" the blue-haired girl hissed, slashing at the plant-user.

Ivy back flipped to the other side of the mast, nearly slipping on the slippery wood. After regaining her balance, she had vines grow out of the mast and strike at the cat-zoan. Mina opened her fan and used it to cut the thick vines, preventing them from even touching her. After cutting most of them, she ran towards Ivy with a killing intent.

Ivy screamed, "Vine Vine Restraints!" Four vines grew from the mast and wrapped around her wrists and ankles, stopping her from getting any closer. "Time to lose your fan," Ivy giggled, tightening a vine so that Mina dropped her fan on the deck far below.

A fifth vine grew in front of Ivy, the tip sharpened to a deadly point.

"Now, say goodbye." Ivy chuckled.

The vine shot out towards Mina, aimed to hit her through the heart. Mina transformed into a cat, managing to escape the vine restraints and weapon. The vine hit thin air and Ivy glared hatefully at the small blue cat standing where the navigator once stood.

"You thought you had me there, didn't you?" Mina asked, shifting back to her human self. "Well, too bad. Living with you for ten years allowed me to know all of your little tricks, Ivy."

"That's not fair!" she whined. "Why are you betraying me? After all I did for you: feeding you, giving you a room, taking care of you!"

"Kidnapping me!?" Mina butted in. "You did all of that _after_ you kidnapped me! That is exactly why I'm doing this. I waited for ten long years for a pirate to come on your ship and be allowed to live. And now I've found a crew that'll take me in, so I don't need you anymore!"

"Fine, I'll kill you." Ivy growled, creating more vines. "I'll kill you right now, TRAITOR!"

The two girls ran at one another, bloodlust in their eyes. Mina was going to get her revenge for what happened in her life for the past ten years. Someone was definitely going to die, and it sure wouldn't be Mina.


	9. Battle in the Storm

Back on the deck, Koji was up against both Himawari and Bara Rose. Koji transformed into his full beat form and swiped his claws at one of the twenty clones of Bara. The ninja simply jumped away and laughed.

"Geez, this is too easy!" she giggled.

"Just shut up and let's finish this," Himawari reminded her, tossing his bone and rock scythe at him.

Koji dodged it and pounced on the blonde boy, intent on pinning him down. Himawari jumped up and landed upside down on the mast pole…again. Koji growled and went to slashing Bara's clones until only the real Bara was left. He transformed into a full human again and wielded his axes.

"Gotcha!" he smirked.

Bara smiled. "Are you so sure of that, cat?"

Himawari dropped from his spot on the mast and slashed his scythe, cutting Koji's upper back. The raven-haired man let out a loud cry and twisted around, landing a kick on the boy's chest and throwing him at the ship's railings. The blonde dragged himself back over the railing and spat some blood out. He nodded before running back to attack again.

On the mast, Mina dodged most of her former captain's vines, gaining only a few cuts and scrapes. She jumped back once and then raced forward, slashing her hybrid form's claws at the green-haired girl. Ivy back-flipped out of the way, avoiding the claws.

"Why don't you just stay still and die?" Mina demanded. "I'm not letting you leave! Not until I get revenge for what you've done to me!"

Ivy growled. "No thank you, traitor! I'd rather return to my master in one piece instead of in a dozen pieces. So I have to decline your offer to stay still."

"It wasn't an offer," Mina hissed, ripping some of the vines apart.

"So what?" Ivy giggled, raising her hands. "Vine Vine Coffin!"

Suddenly, vines wrapped around Mina and trapped her like rope…rope that was as hard as steel. The vines slowly started to crush the cat-woman, cutting off her movement and her air. Ivy was laughing her head off, turning to go back to her newly-risen ship.

"Sorry I can't play anymore." Ivy sighed. "But master wanted you dead, so I'll leave you to die."

Mina struggled in the vines, making them tighten even more.

"Oh, no you don't!" she shouted. "You're not getting away with what you've done! I won't let you!"

Ivy paused. "So you still hate me for that?" she asked softly. "I made all the people who hated you go away. I took you in and cared for you. After all that, you still hate me?"

"Of course. The so called 'people who hated me' were my family and I never wanted them dead! You killed them right in front of me and then you kidnapped me! Is that what you call saving me?" Mina snapped. "What kind of twisted pirate are you?!"

"…Aren't all pirates like me?" Ivy asked softly. "All pirates are bloodthirsty, thieving, murdering cutthroats whose only goal in life is to find treasure, even at the cost of their crews. Are you willing to be one of them with this crew?"

Mina grinned. "At least they aren't like you."

_Island of Gardenia, South Blue, 10 years ago_

A small house sat in a large valley on the island of Gardenia. Gardenia was covered in thick forests, lush plants, and beautiful flowers. The island was a well-known yet peaceful place. It carried many herbs and medicinal plants to cure patients of illnesses. There had been no warfare on this island for over 15 years.

A loud crash was heard from the little house, along with a shout of, "Get out of here, you cursed brat! And don't you _ever_ think of stealing from here again!"

A little 7 year old girl with short dark blue hair stumbled out of the house, clutching a bag in her arms.

"I'm sorry but daddy really needs this!" she cried. It was Mina.

She ran all the way to the other side of the island, getting home just as the sun was setting. Once she entered, she was greeted by her mother Kaori. The little girl walked to the upstairs room where her father, Komatsu, worked on his medicines and star charts. Her family was a group of doctors and navigators. Mina loved looking at her dad's star maps.

"Here, dad!" she said, placing the bag beside his desk. "I got these for you so you could draw your maps better."

Komatsu peered into the bag and brought out writing utensils, mapping paper, a mini telescope, a few books on medicine and the stars, and a pair of silver rings that could fit around his wrists.

"What are the rings for?" he asked.

"I just thought they looked pretty," Mina admitted, unconsciously running her hands along the side of his desk.

Komatsu chuckled and picked her up, petting her hair with a calloused hand. "I think you should have them. You're always getting things for me and your mother, but never anything for you."

Mina watched as he slipped the large rings over her small wrists. "I know, but I don't know what I want. I just want you guys to be happy, because when you're happy, I'm happy."

"Jahaha! I guess so, Mina." He laughed. "But tell me this. Did you steal this from Mr. Flix's shop? You know what we've told you about that place."

Mina wrung her hands nervously. "Yeah, daddy, I know. But I couldn't help it!" she whined. "We help people yet we can't help ourselves. That's not fair!"

Komatsu sighed. "I know, sweetie, but stealing isn't making the villagers like you any more than they already do, which isn't much."

Kaori's voice floated from downstairs. "Dinner time!"

"Coming, honey!" he called, standing up from his chair. "Come one, Mina, time to eat."

"Coming, daddy!" Mina chirped, following her father downstairs.

After dinner, there was a loud ringing noise and the sounds of screams coming from the valley.

"What's going on?" Kaoru asked, peeking out the window.

"Whenever the bell rings, it means pirates." Komatsu growled, smashing his fork down on the table and headed for the door. He pulled on his coat and grabbed his gun. "I'm going out there to help. You two stay here and hide downstairs, okay?"

"'Kay, daddy!" Mina replied, grabbing her mom's hand and going downstairs to the basement. _Stay safe, daddy…please!_

Mina and her mother stayed in the basement for over an hour before the sound of footsteps filled the air. Someone… No, some people, were upstairs!

After a few minutes, a voice said, "Check everything for valuables! If you find anyone, bring them to me!"

Many voices shouted, "Aye!" and began searching the house.

Mina and her mother stayed as quiet as possible. Then the door leading to the basement was smashed in. The sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs as the pirates searched every nook and cranny to find valuables. Mina spotted the stairs were clear and gently led her mother there, watching the pirates. Then someone grabbed Kaoru and she screamed.

The pirates whirled around and stalked towards the duo, grabbing Mina dragging her upstairs where her mother already was. They were held at gunpoint as a young boy, around 13 with dark green hair and green eyes, slowly paced in front of them. A green-haired girl sat in front of Mina and smiled.

"These are the only two people in this house?" the boy asked, not looking amused. "There were no valuables?"

One pirate spoke up. "There were star charts and medicine upstairs."

The boy turned to the girl. "Ivy, you may take those with you. You have no navigator and no doctor, or so I've heard."

The girl, Ivy, turned and nodded. "That's right, Forest. Oh, can I have the little girl? Please?!"

The boy, Forest, sighed and twirled his hammer between his fingers. "Go ahead. I'm still going to kill the woman though." Forest paused and looked at Mina closer. "This must be the girl that shopkeeper talked about before I killed him. The one who has caused all the trouble and is hated throughout this island."

"Yay!" Ivy cried, freeing Mina before hugging her. "I think she's a great candidate for that Cursed Fruit that Slate found a few months back."

"Maybe," Forest mumbled, holding his hammer in one hand. "Now take your pet and leave, Ivy. I don't want you complaining about me getting blood on your clothes."

"Okay!" Ivy said, scooping Mina up and running out the door to the docks. "You might not want to watch this, kitty!"

But Mina did watch. She watch, horrified, as her house was crushed by a gigantic hammer. Ivy and her subordinates continued to run until they reached the Rosethorns' ship. Once there, Ivy walked downstairs and shoved Mina into a cell.

"Let me out!" the blue-haired girl cried, tears running down her cheeks. "What did you do to mommy?!"

"Your mommy's gone now, kitty!" Ivy answered, smiling. "Now you belong to me. Once we find Slate, I'll give you a nice treat in the form of a dark blue fruit. You'll love it!"

"I want to go home!" Mina shouted, punching the bars and ignoring the blood running down her small fists. "Let me out now!"

Suddenly, a sharpened vine erupted from the floor and placed itself just an inch from her neck. Mina fell silent.

"Now listen here, kitty," Ivy hissed. "Your parents are gone and so is your village. We killed them all. Why do you care what happened to them? They all hated you."

"Mommy and daddy didn't," Mina protested.

"I bet, deep in their hearts, they hated you," Ivy said, planting seeds of doubt in the young girl. "Some days, the world just smiles down on you. Other days, it doesn't. Guess what the world was doing today, kitty?"

Mina didn't answer. _Did mommy and daddy really hate me? No, they couldn't have! But what if they did?_

Ivy smirked. Her plan was working. "I'll take you in as a cabin girl on my ship, kitty. Then when I give you your treat, maybe you can be my navigator. I saw all of those pretty maps upstairs and took them all with me. Did you draw those?"

"Some of them," Mina admitted. "Daddy drew most of them."

"Okay," Ivy said, smiling. The vine vanished. "You'll be my cabin girl and will be treated with respect by me. When you become my navigator, my entire crew will respect you. But should you ever betray me, I'll have you hunted down and killed. Understood?"

Mina looked at her and finally nodded.

"What's your name?" Ivy asked.

"…Mina," Mina choked. "My parents really did hate me, didn't they?"

Ivy grinned. "Yes, they did. You should keep the bracelets, though," she said, indicating the silver bracelets around Mina's wrists. "It will remind you of how much you hate them in return."

Mina looked up and nodded. "Okay, Captain…?"

"Ivy," Forest said, appearing out of the wood. "Slate has given me the Cursed Cat Cat Fruit. Will she eat it?"

Mina nodded. Ivy tossed it to her and Mina ate it, refusing to gag on it. After she swallowed it, she looked at Ivy.

Mina said, "I ate that fruit to show my loyalty to you, Captain Ivy!"

"Good girl, kitty!" Ivy cheered.

Once the duo left Mina alone, Forest turned to his fellow pirate captain.

"What did you do to her?"

"I convinced her that her parents hated her," Ivy replied. "The young are so easily manipulated, aren't they?"

Forest nodded. "The strong will resist and the weak will say anything to end the pain."

"Yep!" Ivy chirped. "Now scram! I'm sure Master wants you to get looking for Gold Roger's kid!"

Forest nodded and vanished. Ivy sneered. _This is going to be so much fun with Mina around!_

"I'm guess you remember all of that?" Ivy asked.

"Yeah, I do." Mina growled. "I still don't get how come you're the same age as when you kidnapped me."

"Maybe you'll find out later, kitty," Ivy replied.

A loud scream was heard on deck, startling Ivy enough that her vines loosened. Mina transformed into her full beast and jumped free. Ivy turned around to see Mina turn into a hybrid and thrust her claws directly at her face.

"Say goodbye!" Mina screamed.

Ivy opened her mouth and screamed.

Back on the deck, the scream came from Bara Rose the ninja. Mina's fan, which had fallen earlier from the mast, had hit the ninja on the head and scared her. Koji saw his chance and slashed both of his axes across her chest, sending her falling over the railing and into the ocean. Some men who were in the water grabbed her and started swimming to the newly-resurrected Rosethorns ship.

Himawari stared in shock. How could anyone, especially an everyday pirate, have beaten Bara? It was impossible!

"How dare you do that?!" the blonde roared, loosing his cool.

He charged but Koji was ready for him.

Across the deck, Jarred and Suisen were fight when Bara's scream reached them. Suisen stopped for a second before recognizing it.

"Bara!" he shouted.

As he tried to run to where the scream came from, Jared pounced and slashed his back with the Akayuki.

"Where do you think you're going, big guy?" Jarred asked, wielding his two swords and pointing them at Suisen's throat.

"Out of the way, short stuff!" Suisen bellowed, slashing the Big Blade at Jarred.

Jarred jumped up and landed on the blade, kicking Suisen in the face. After landing flat on his back on the slippery deck, Jarred landed on Suisen's chest and placed the Shirokaze at his neck.

"Don't _ever_ call me short stuff, big guy. Got it?!"

Suisen simply nodded, dumbfounded. After hopping off, Suisen jumped overboard to help get Bara to their ship. Jarred turned and helped Kuro Neko and Ai dispatch some of the stragglers left behind from his attack. After most of the crew was gone, they looked around for Ayame and Sakura, who had disappeared during the downpour. A loud shout was heard and Himawari was tossed overboard.

Koji joined his two crewmates and sister with a tired, "Did we get them all?"

"We took care of our guys but we can't find Ayame or Sakura," Kuro Neko replied. "Mina is still dealing with Ivy but that should be over quickly."

" _Oniisan,_ " Ai said softly. " _Daijoubu?_ "

"I'm alright, sis." Koji panted. "Geez, these guys were tough."

"I found Ayame!" Jarred cried from the railing. "He fell overboard, but Sakura is still onboard somewhere."

"Find her before she does anymore damage to the Neko Neko!" Kuro Neko ordered.

The four crewmates fanned out, looking for the pink-haired pirate. Sakura had perched herself on the very top of the mast to watch her captain's fight. A wicked scar going across her back and a gash above her left eyebrow were the scars she'd gained in her fight with Mina.

 _If the captain loses, I'll just take her on again,_ Sakura thought, watching the fight.

Ivy jumped backwards, Mina's claws slashing through her shirt.

"You big meanie, this is my favorite shirt! I'll make you pay for that! Vine Vine—"

Just before she could finish her attack, she was hit from behind by a large chunk of wood.

" _Ara ara_! Looks like I really did hit her!" Ai called from below.

"Ai, thanks for the help!" Mina cried.

" _Arigatou!_ " Ai said. " _Zutto tsuzukete!_ " Then the cougar zoan threw Mina's Ichiarashi fan up to her. " _Isoginasai, Mina-san!_ "

"Will do!" Mina agreed, snatching her fan out of the air. She opened it and prepared to attack. "This is goodbye now…Ivy."

"That's _Captain_ Ivy!" Ivy shouted.

"Not anymore!" Mina growled and slashed her fan at Ivy. "Eye of the Hurricane!"

A huge blast of wind hit Ivy and sent her spiraling back to her ship, destroying the Rosethorns' mast in the process. Mina sat down and closed her fan.

"Well, that's done. All the Rosethorns have been defeated," Mina said.

Sakura stood up and jumped, landing silently behind Mina. _Not all of us, traitor._ She raised her whip to give her a lashing when she heard a low growl. The girl slowly turned around to find an angry panther crouched there, growling at her.

"Oh, snap." Sakura muttered.

Mina jumped down onto what remained of the deck. Most of it was torn up and started to fill with rainwater. The newly-named navigator looked up at her new captain and felt weird.

"What's this weird feeling I get whenever I'm near my captain?" she asked herself.

"It might be love."

"AHHH!" Mina shrieked, twirling around to find Ai standing there with a smile. "What did you hear?!" she demanded.

"Only the part about you having weird feelings for Kuro Neko- _sama,_ " Ai said. "I think you might be in love with him, Mina- _san_."

Mina looked away. "Yeah right! Why would I like a guy like him?"

" _Sou nee… Atete mite?_ " Ai asked.

Mina sighed. "I don't know, Ai. Maybe we can talk another time."

" _Mochiron_ ," Ai agreed.

A loud splash signaled that Sakura was overboard. Kuro Neko pounced down and landed on the deck, transforming back into a full human again.

"Everyone alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're all okay," Koji replied. "All our enemies are gone but our ship's damaged."

"Well, their ship's damaged too," Jared pointed out. "Their captain busted the mast when she was thrown back onto her own ship."

"We better get ready to go, guys," Mina said.

Koji and Jarred glared at her, still feeling uneasy with her on the ship.

"So, we have a navigator now?" Koji asked coldly. "You're not going to betray us, right?"

"That's enough!" Kuro Neko spat. "We have a navigator and that's all that counts. Now let's get going and find an island. Mina, where's the next island?"

Mina looked around and said, "There's an island to the west, D'arc Island if I'm not mistaken. It's well known for the Guardians that once guarded the place. Now there's only a single guardian and he has a bounty for killing Marines. It could take a day or two to get there."

"Hope we don't run into that guardian, _oniisan_ ," Ai whimpered.

"Don't worry, sis! If we run into him, I'll knock his lights out!" Koji declared.

"You might not stand a chance against him, Koji," Mina said. "All of the Guardians have eaten a Devil Fruit to increase their capabilities of protecting the island. There may be only one Guardian left, but he probably has a powerful Devil Fruit if he's guarded the place his entire life."

"Well, onto D'arc Island!" Kuro Neko said. "We'll get our ship fixed, restock our supplies… and maybe meet this guardian guy!"

The crew agreed with him and cheered. The rest of the storm was spent trying to fix the ship as best they could before they reached D'arc Island.

_On D'arc Island, two days from the Neko Neko's position..._

The cobblestone streets of D'arc Island had very few people walking on them. Most of the people on this stony island were Marines searching for the last Guardian of D'arc, whose name was unknown to most but spoken briefly by a few villagers. Some say he was as big as a giant, and others say he's been here for over a thousand years. Most of these rumors were untrue but few were true. He had a large dog with him, he witnessed the massacre of his fellow guardians ten years ago, and he killed Marines for fun and for a living.

Seeing as the Marines have no idea who they were looking for, they just looked for suspicious characters wandering the streets or back alleys. If they found him, they were forced to use seastone to look for signs of a Cursed Fruit. Only the Guardians of D'arc have consumed a Cursed Fruit on this island.

A heavily muscled man with a large cloak thrown over himself walked down the street. After bypassing all of the Marines, he entered the D'arc Bell Tower, the former base of operations for the once famous and protected Guardians of D'arc.

All of that changed ten years ago.

The large man sat down and started stroking a large black dog with a heavily-spiked collar.

"Good boy, Bones," the man said. "I'm surprised they never found you up here. Though, they've never come to the top of the bell tower before. Not after killing the Guardians off like pigs on a ranch. 'Cept they didn't eat them."

The man looked up, revealing short black hair and black eyes.

"It's nearly time to put our plan into action, Bones. Almost, almost…"

Darkness fell over the stone island, the man's laugh tearing into the night like a knife.


End file.
